Inside
- Brad Keselowski said NASCAR is sending messages that drivers cannot be vigilantes on the tracktrack (Motorsports)
- Jimmie Johnson is winding down his Indy career (Below)
- NASCAR News
- Indy Schedule for 2023 (Motorsports Page)
- The Double Eagle Golf Podcast- Drone Over Warwick with PGA Pros talking about how they would play the holes (MGS Pg.)
- B1G/MAC Players of the Week- Football- Monday 9.26
- The Double Eagle Golf Podcast 1.9 with Rocco Mediate, David Duval and Olin Browne (MGS Pg.)
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Martin Truex Jr. pulls off first NASCAR Cup Series win at Phoenix RacewayBy Holly Cain
Martin Truex Jr. overcame an early-race brush with the wall and took the lead on the final restart with 25 laps remaining to earn his first victory of 2021 and first in 31 career starts at Phoenix Raceway. Truex‘s No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota ultimately held off Joey Logano‘s No. 22 Penske Racing Ford by a convincing 1.698-seconds for the win in the Instacart 500. The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Truex took the race lead from the outside on a bold restart move — pulling away in the closing laps of a spirited race that featured 22 lead changes. Truex, 40, of New Jersey, is now the fifth different winner in as many NASCAR Cup Series races this season joining Michael McDowell, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Kyle Larson who have also earned spots in the playoffs. “Just an awesome job by everybody, (crew chief) James (Small), all the pit crew guys fixing it, just really solid,” said Truex, who now has 28 career wins. “At the beginning of the race I thought we were going to run 15th or so. Man, I just really can‘t believe it. I‘m kind of speechless. “This feels pretty amazing. Phoenix has been a tough one for us. “I wish it was November and I was in the final four,” he added with a smile, referring to the season championship finale at Phoenix Raceway later in the year. “Just so thankful and proud of everyone at JGR, everyone who makes this possible.” Statistically, Logano‘s Ford was the dominant car on the afternoon, leading a race best 143 of the 312 laps and winning Stage 2 — his first stage win of the year. His Penske teammate Ryan Blaney won Stage 1 (also his first stage victory of 2021) and all three Penske Racing cars finished in the top 10. In all, the Penske trio of Logano, Blaney and Keselowski combined to lead 197 laps — out front 63 percent of the day. Logano started alongside Truex on the front row for the final restart and mounted a challenge for the lead, but he couldn‘t hold off Truex even with a more favorable inside starting position. “I was surprised he was able to hang with me on that (final) start,” a disappointed Logano conceded of Truex‘s winning move. “He had a good start, too, but I had a good one on the bottom and I thought might have short-cut it on the dogleg and I thought, boy I might have him cleared. Then we went into that corner still door-to-door and when you‘re door-to-door, the outside car has control. “I‘m pretty sure even if I beat him even on that start he was still going to hound me and probably get by me. They had the best car. We had a good car for sure, but once they tuned it in toward the second stage, it was the best car on the race track.” RELATED: Joey Logano says second place ‘hurts’ Truex‘s JGR teammate Denny Hamlin was third, followed by Logano‘s teammate Brad Keselowski and last November‘s Phoenix winner Chase Elliott in fifth. Kevin Harvick, a nine-time Phoenix winner, was sixth, earning his fourth top-10 finish in the season‘s opening five races. Last week‘s Las Vegas winner Kyle Larson was seventh, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron was eighth followed by JGR driver Christopher Bell and Blaney to round out the top 10. Even without the victory, it was an impressive showing for the three Hendrick Motorsports cars that rallied to top-10 finishes. Elliott, Larson and Byron all had to start from the rear of the field on Sunday. And the fourth Hendrick car, driven by Alex Bowman, was equally resilient with a 13th place finish despite hitting the wall and bringing out an early race caution flag. RELATED: Early trouble for Alex Bowman at Phoenix Larson, in particular put on a lesson in resiliency. He rallied to race among the top 10 — even lead a lap — a third of the way into the race but was sent back to the rear of the lead lap cars twice after that because of pit road speeding violations. Hamlin, Keselowski and Logano — all still looking for their first 2021 wins — are 1-2-3 in the championship standings with Hamlin holding a 39-point edge over Keselowski as the series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for next weekend‘s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Note: The race winning No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Martin Truex Jr. passed NASCAR‘s post-race technical inspection. The No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet (Kurt Busch), the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (Kyle Busch) and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (William Byron) all had one lug nut safe and secure, while the No. 2 Team Penske Ford (Brad Keselowski) and the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet (Daniel Suarez) had two lug nuts not safe and secure. Tom Daugherty Wins First Major Title in Guaranteed Rate PBA World Championship Defeats Jakob Butturff in the championship match to win $100,000Tampa, Fla.—No. 1 seed Tom Daugherty rolled a 263 game in the title match to win the Guaranteed Rate PBA World Championship for his third career PBA Tour title and first major. In the highest scoring match of the stepladder finals, Daugherty and third seed Jakob Butturff combined to roll 18 strikes, 10 of which belonged to Daugherty on the way to a six-pin margin of victory.
“To shoot 260 to win a major is just awesome,” said Daugherty, whose most recent title came in the 2016 PBA Wolf Open. “I felt a little snake bitten on TV. I knew I needed to keep getting there to give myself more opportunities. Finally, I broke through with one.” The first to finish the match, Daugherty needed two strikes and four pins in the 10th frame to shut out Butturff and clinch victory. His first strike was exactly what he wanted to do. The next one, he admits, required luck as he rolled the 2 pin to strike and, after a nine count on the fill ball, ultimately win. “You always want to shut your guy out,” said Daugherty. “Getting the first one was key and I threw the best shot I possibly could. I aced it. I lost control of the second one. I realized it was the moment that would make me a major champion and everything started to speed up. It was my worst shot of the match, but I had the right ball in the right part of the lane and I got lucky.” Daugherty’s second strike in the 10th frame was his ninth consecutive strike of the match. Butturff bowled a clean game and rolled the back seven strikes in an effort to win his second major, but fell six pins short. Tuesday and Wednesday, Daugherty will compete in match play for the PBA Chameleon Championship and PBA Scorpion Championship, giving him two more opportunities to win at the World Series in his native Tampa. “I get to bowl in my hometown in one of my favorite centers,” said Daugherty. “I’m going to try to make the most of it.” Guaranteed Rate PBA World Championship Final Standings AMF University Lanes – Tampa, Fla. Tom Daugherty, earns $100,000
Match 1 – No. 4 Via def. No. 5 Troup, 210-201 Match 2 – No. 3 Butturff def. No. 4 Via, 249-227 Match 3 – No. 3 Butturff def. No. 2 Tackett, 210-178 Match 4 – No. 1 Daugherty def. No. 3 Butturff, 263-257 
Francois Lavoie beats three two-handers in PBA takedown at KIA Tournament of Champions The PBA Tournament of Champions being held near Miami had all the makings of a star-studded field making the finals, but started off curiously. Sean Rash, one of the top players on Tour today, literally could not find the pocket against Francois Lovoie striking on the Brooklyn side multiple times. Francois also had his struggles stringing strikes together, but his 3 bagger from frames five through seven dusted the wayward Rash. PBA Hall of Famer and current color commentator Randy Pederson said Rash got ball reaction like his shot had a runny nose. I agree with Pederson as Rash’s hitting power was weak and off the mark.
It is refreshing watching the classic bowling Lovoie roll like the PBA pros of the past. His ball rotation is supurb although his release is sketchy. Worked against Rash. Jesper Svensson is one of the great talents on the current PBA Tour and this lefty has the highest rev rate on tour and with a clean left side to work with, this powerful lefty was poised to roll through the field. Lavoie found out what Rash tried to avoid in game two. The oil pattern was tricky and either left right handers throwing through the nose or washing out and his opening frame six pin split left him wondering if he could find the mark. His 5th frame late knockout of a pesky nine pin gave him his first double which he extended to five consecutive strikes. Svensson used a tv break to talk to his Storm ball rep and the rep told him to “stop thinking so much and roll the ball.” Well, it worked. Lavoie, not to be outdone, finished with eight strikes in nine frames while Svensson left a split in the tenth and concluded his day with a 236-201 loss. Jason Belmonte’s record in PBA majors is unquestioned in today’s PBA. This two-hander has made every top five since 2012 save one (7th in 2017). He has the ability to pound the pocket from anywhere on the lanes and his string of strikes ( a double) in frames three and four opened the match except Belmo could not convert a 3-10 split in frame five and Lavoie saw an open door. His major 1-2-3-6-10 washout left three pins on his spare attempt. But Belmonte could never get it going. He never doubled the rest of the match and Lavoie dug deep. Anthony Simonsen finished 5th last week and this week did not look much better as he opened in the third with the 8-10 split. Lavoie looked to dust off the field with his third major title. For Simonsen, he played second arrow and it di not work for him. He played a change of the 5th arrow and plenty of loft and it made all the world of difference for him. His 8th frame 3-4-6-8-9-10 count and chop left him a second-place finish. Lavoie beat three two hand bowlers in a row at their own games. When a player can bowl methodical and take out Rash, Belmonte and Simonsen, it shows classic bowlers can still bring it home. His third major title gives him a chance at the super slam after the major season is over and nets him 100k. Kia PBA Tournament of Champions Final Standings Bowlero Jupiter – Jupiter, Fla. 1. François Lavoie, earns $100,000 2.Anthony Simonsen, $60,000 3.Jason Belmonte, $45,000 4. Jesper Svensson, $40,000 5. Sean Rash, $35,000 Match Scores Match 1 – No. 5 Lavoie def. No. 4 Rash, 225-209 Match 2 – No. 5 Lavoie def. No. 3 Svensson, 236-201 Match 3 – No. 5 Lavoie def. No. 2 Belmonte, 220-194 Match 4 – No. 5 Lavoie def. No. 1 Simonsen, 233-187 KYLE TROUP WINS PBA PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FOR FIRST CAREER MAJOR TITLE
Defeats Dick Allen in the championship match to win $250,000
Jupiter, Fla.--Top seed Kyle Troup bowled a 257 game to win the PBA Players Championship for his first career major title, defeating third seed Dick Allen in the championship match. Troup’s seventh overall PBA Tour title earned him a PBA record-tying $250,000 first-place prize. “It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Troup. “Hard work pays off. I felt very confident in my ball reaction and the angle I was playing. I didn’t really feel nervous at all. I stayed focused and the pressure and the nerves kind of went away.” Like Troup, Allen was also seeking his first career major title. Allen defeated Tom Smallwood and François Lavoie to get to the championship match, then took an early lead over Troup. “I had two misses in the first four frames,” said Troup. “There can be some thoughts going through my head like, oh no, what’s going on here? But I just told myself to keep my mind forward and my eyes forward. Keep working, keep pushing, believe in yourself.” When Allen left a 10-pin in the seventh frame, giving Troup a one-pin advantage, Troup knew the outcome was in his hands. “I try not to pay attention to the score and just make the best shot I can make,” said Troup. “But I knew once I had that advantage and I could strike out to win, the only thing I was thinking was you don’t hope to win, you expect to win. I expected Dick Allen to strike out and force me to strike out, so I was expecting to have to throw all of them.” In the ninth frame, Allen left a 7-10 split, easing the burden on Troup. Troup struck in his half of the ninth, then clinched the title with a strike in the 10th frame. Troup was the top seed throughout every round of the PBA Players Championship. He led all East Region qualifiers through 28 games of qualifying to earn the top seed in the East Region Finals, in which he defeated Michael Davidson to advance to the PBA Players Championship Finals. Then, he led the three-game, total-pinfall seeding round held last night, rolling a 741 series to clinch a spot in the title match. “After I won the region, I went home and relaxed for a couple days,” said Troup. “Then it was time to buckle down. Keep competing. Keep practicing. A lot of self-talk and self-belief. I knew I had to go to work to take this next step in my career.” By earning his seventh career title and first major, Troup also qualifies for the first spot in the PBA Super Slam, which will feature all five 2021 major winners and air April 18 on FOX Broadcast Channel. PBA PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL STANDINGSBowlero Jupiter – Jupiter, Fla.
Match 2 – No. 3 Allen def. No. 4 Smallwood, 216-195 Match 3 – No. 3 Allen def. No. 2 Lavoie, 244-227 Match 4 – No. 1 Troup def. No. 3 Allen, 257-212 
GLENN PILON WINS $2,000 FIRST PRIZE IN MDUSBC SENIOR MASTERS AT MAYFLOWER LANESGlenn Pilon of Trenton beat Larry Walker of Garden City in the finals 447-404 to win the Metro Detroit USBC (MDUSBC) Senior Masters title at Mayflower Lanes in Redford and take home the top prize of $2,000. Walker settled for the runner-up check of $1,000.
Pilon, the 2015 MDUSBC Senior Masters champion, qualified fourth with a six-game total of 1,363 including a high game of 279. He remained in the winner’s bracket with triumphs over Eric Tulley of Brighton 425-398, Gerald Johnson of Taylor 516-342, Richard Wayne of Westland 434-412 and Bo Goergen of Sanford 444-387 as he waited for Walker to emerge from the loser’s bracket. He averaged 226.8 for 16 games of competition. Walker, the 2009 MDUSBC Senior Masters champion, qualified 15th with 1,298 and a high game of 267. He won his first match over Frank Camilleri of Brownstown 488-468 before falling to Goergen 418-407 to set up a long way back to the final match. In the loser’s bracket he beat Ken Wyatt of Sterling Heights 470-418, defending champion Robert Sloma of Jenison 430-361, top qualifier Gary Duarard Jr of Livonia 383-312, Harold Sullins of Chesterfield 450-368, Jeffrey Austreng of Waterford Township 500-395, Michael Lucente of Warren 452-425 and avenged the earlier loss to Goergen 484-406 to advance to the championship match. He averaged 221.8 for 26 games. Goergen qualified second with 1,371. He remained in the winner’s bracket with victories over Walker 418-407, John Langston of Plymouth 382-354, Austreng 451-390 before losing to Pilon 444-387. He then lost to Walker 484-406 to end his day. He took home $750 for his third place finish, averaging 213.4 Lucente finished fourth for $500 after qualifying sixth with 1,341. In match play, he won his first match against Stephen Krywy of Sterling Heights 438-430 before falling into the loser’s bracket with a loss to Austreng 436-353. Once in the loser’s bracket he beat Tulley 384-353, Langston 363-306, Wayne 379-369 before losing to Walker 452-425. He averaged 204.6 for 16 games. Austreng finished fifth for $400 and averaged 214.7. Wayne finished sixth for $400 and averaged 213.3. Sullins ended up seventh for $350, averaging 207.2 and Langston took home $350 for his eighth-place finish, averaging 201.1. Jeffrey Suma Sr. of Clarkston won the Super Senior competition for non-qualifiers 60 years of age and older. He defeated Larry Wilson of Detroit 253-187 for the title. Suma won $200 for his efforts and Wilson walked away with a check for $175. Defending champion Robert Sloma finished 14th, cashing for $275 and averaging 211.7. The entire field averaged 196.3 in qualifying with the top 24 averaging 219.4. The match play average was 203. DICK ALLEN AVERAGES 270 TO WIN SOUTH REGION AND ADVANCE TO PBA PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
The #5 seed won all four matches to earn the last berth in the PBA Players Championship Finals
Jupiter, Fla.--Fifth seed Dick Allen climbed the stepladder and defeated #1 seed Jesper Svensson in the final match to win the South Region Finals. With four victories and a 270 average, Allen became the first and only player to advance to the PBA Players Championship Finals from anywhere other than the top seed. While Allen averaged 270, his opponents averaged 258. Every match led to Allen needing a clutch performance in the 10th frame to secure victory. “This is what we’re out here to do,” said Allen of bowling under pressure. “This is why we play the game. You have to control the heart rate, the blood rushing through the veins, the emotions. You get the job done and then you can celebrate. To be able to do that on this stage just feels good.” With a strike and spare to finish the opening match, Allen defeated Tom Daugherty, who started his game with the front eight, by a single pin. Allen then doubled in the 10th to get past Ryan Ciminelli by five pins. Needing a strike and six pins to win the semifinal match against Cristian Azcona, Allen rolled all three strikes for the win. In the final match, Allen needed to fill 17 pins in the 10th to defeat Jesper Svensson, then filled 28 to win the South Region. “I knew the lanes were going to be high-scoring,” said Allen. “I just did whatever I could. As the middle started to hook and the back ends started to hook some more, my point of origin stayed the same but the destination down lane changed. I tried to keep moving my eyes left, keep my speed up and stay aggressive.” Allen, who owns seven PBA Tour titles and will be looking to win his first major, joins Anthony Simonsen (West), François Lavoie (Southwest), Tom Smallwood (Central) and Kyle Troup (East) in next week’s PBA Players Championship Finals, when the five players will compete for a top prize of $250,000. “I’m going to try to stay in every match and hope I get a chance to step up in the 10th and do what I like to do,” said Allen. The PBA Players Championship Finals will air live on FOX Broadcast Channel Feb. 21. SOUTH REGION STEPLADDER FINALS RESULTSBowlero Jupiter – Jupiter, Fla.
KYLE TROUP ADVANCES TO PBA PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS, CHRIS VIA BOWLS 300
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Musings of a Filterless Reporter-Column
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My take on Detroit Sports News- by Roy J. Akers
The Ally Challenge: Who is more excited, Tom Izzo to meet the Legends or the Legends to meet Izzo?
Lions Have Brutal Injury Report On Wednesday
Chris Rosvoglou - 2h ago
It'd be an understatement to say the Detroit Lions are shorthanded on offense.
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 18: Amon-Ra St. Brown #14 of the Detroit Lions stands in the tunnel prior to an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders at Ford Field on September 18, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images© Provided by The SpunLions head coach Dan Campbell announced that running back D'Andre Swift, center Frank Ragnow, tight end T.J. Hockenson, offensive guard Jonah Jackson, and wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds would not practice on Wednesday.
Swift could end up missing this Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks due to multiple injuries.
Related video: Dan Campbell on Lions injuries: need to 'find a way to win with what we have'
St. Brown, meanwhile, recently received positive news on his ankle injury. However, there's no guarantee he'll play this weekend.
As for the offensive line, it's certainly not encouraging that Ragnow and Jackson are both hampered at the moment. If they're unable to go, Drew Forbes and Evan Brown will need to start.
Fortunately for the Lions, it's still early in the week. Some of these marquee names could return to practice on Thursday or Friday.
The Lions will release their final injury report for Week 4 on Friday.
It'd be an understatement to say the Detroit Lions are shorthanded on offense.
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 18: Amon-Ra St. Brown #14 of the Detroit Lions stands in the tunnel prior to an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders at Ford Field on September 18, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images© Provided by The SpunLions head coach Dan Campbell announced that running back D'Andre Swift, center Frank Ragnow, tight end T.J. Hockenson, offensive guard Jonah Jackson, and wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds would not practice on Wednesday.
Swift could end up missing this Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks due to multiple injuries.
Related video: Dan Campbell on Lions injuries: need to 'find a way to win with what we have'
St. Brown, meanwhile, recently received positive news on his ankle injury. However, there's no guarantee he'll play this weekend.
As for the offensive line, it's certainly not encouraging that Ragnow and Jackson are both hampered at the moment. If they're unable to go, Drew Forbes and Evan Brown will need to start.
Fortunately for the Lions, it's still early in the week. Some of these marquee names could return to practice on Thursday or Friday.
The Lions will release their final injury report for Week 4 on Friday.
Column
NASCAR has a playoff problem
NASCAR has made a lot of great moves in 2022 and 2023 and has a lot going for it. I love the new schedule. Sure, the schedule needs to be refrined, but adding North Wilkesboro for the All-Star race is simply brilliant as adding the exhibition in Los Angeles in early February was earlier this year.
Saying that,
These playoffs have been rough on everybody.
Cars catching fire while racers are driving and watching Kevin Harvick park his ride in the middle of a race without contact is not a good look.
Neither are watching nearly empty stands at Texas Motor Speedway. The fans are not buying the race and drivers like Kyle Larson said the place needs to be blown up as a track referring to a track remodel in 2019 has left no one happy.
For the recent history of the playoffs, if you made the playoffs, you were most likely running in the lead pack. No more. Either non-playoff drivers or eliminated ones are leading the pack. I enjoy Michigan's Erik Jones winning at Darlington. While not a fan of Bubba Wallace, he has his own posse, and his win at Kansas gave him his first regulation length win of his career. RJK racings Chris Buescher won at Bristol. All of these wins by non-playoff drivers gave NASCAR low viewer ratings.
Fans like to see the big boys and instead, they have guys that rarely win on the circuit are out front and fans are turning off the broadcasts. Fan favorites like Chase Elliott are blowing engines and the ultimate Cup villain Kyle Busch blew two engines in three races and will take his talents in 2023 to Richard Childress Racing (RCR). For NASCAR, it would have been better for them to have Busch race into another round or two and let him take his chances.
The Texas race found teams replacing tires about every thirty laps. It claimed several drivers including Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliot and Kevin Harvick.
NASCAR needs to keep things everything. You cannot tell non-playoff teams to lie down for the playoff drivers. Still, they need to tweak making the playoffs more interesting.
In my mind, the old days of NASCAR had as many as 70 races in a season. Most weekends were filled with racing double headers.
Chase Elliot has a great point and spoke to the elephant in the room and the circuit needs to stop competing with the NFL. Why NASCAR does not split their races in half and have two winners would and make the season shorter.
It would create more drama and give more storylines and winners. Perhaps even having 20 lap shootouts for the top four playoff drivers at the end would give bonus points and park the non-playoff drivers for a segment following the racing would put things in better perspective.
Saying that,
These playoffs have been rough on everybody.
Cars catching fire while racers are driving and watching Kevin Harvick park his ride in the middle of a race without contact is not a good look.
Neither are watching nearly empty stands at Texas Motor Speedway. The fans are not buying the race and drivers like Kyle Larson said the place needs to be blown up as a track referring to a track remodel in 2019 has left no one happy.
For the recent history of the playoffs, if you made the playoffs, you were most likely running in the lead pack. No more. Either non-playoff drivers or eliminated ones are leading the pack. I enjoy Michigan's Erik Jones winning at Darlington. While not a fan of Bubba Wallace, he has his own posse, and his win at Kansas gave him his first regulation length win of his career. RJK racings Chris Buescher won at Bristol. All of these wins by non-playoff drivers gave NASCAR low viewer ratings.
Fans like to see the big boys and instead, they have guys that rarely win on the circuit are out front and fans are turning off the broadcasts. Fan favorites like Chase Elliott are blowing engines and the ultimate Cup villain Kyle Busch blew two engines in three races and will take his talents in 2023 to Richard Childress Racing (RCR). For NASCAR, it would have been better for them to have Busch race into another round or two and let him take his chances.
The Texas race found teams replacing tires about every thirty laps. It claimed several drivers including Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliot and Kevin Harvick.
NASCAR needs to keep things everything. You cannot tell non-playoff teams to lie down for the playoff drivers. Still, they need to tweak making the playoffs more interesting.
In my mind, the old days of NASCAR had as many as 70 races in a season. Most weekends were filled with racing double headers.
Chase Elliot has a great point and spoke to the elephant in the room and the circuit needs to stop competing with the NFL. Why NASCAR does not split their races in half and have two winners would and make the season shorter.
It would create more drama and give more storylines and winners. Perhaps even having 20 lap shootouts for the top four playoff drivers at the end would give bonus points and park the non-playoff drivers for a segment following the racing would put things in better perspective.
TOP FUEL’S ANTRON BROWN ROLLING AT RIGHT TIME AS NHRA PLAYOFFS OPEN AT PEP BOYS NHRA NATIONALS
READING, Pa. (Sept. 13, 2022) – Whatever difficulties Antron Brown and his team endured early in the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season appear to have been erased, putting the three-time Top Fuel world champion back on track to compete for another world title.
The road to the championship starts at this weekend’s 37th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the first of six races during the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs. On the strength of two wins in his past three races, including the most recent NHRA U.S. Nationals, Brown enters the playoffs with plenty of momentum in his 11,000-horsepower Matco Tools dragster.
He’s jumped out to sixth in the Top Fuel points standings, a considerable leap in just a month thanks to victories in Topeka – which was his first as a team owner – and Indy. It’s a loaded field of title contenders heading to Reading, but Brown might be peaking at the perfect time this season.
“We’re in the conversation now. With the Countdown right in front of us and us jumping from being 12th a few races ago to being sixth, I think we’re going to be in that talk,” Brown said. “We’re just going to go out there and compete and race for a championship, and that’s our mindset and our gameplan right now. But this whole class is ridiculous right now. We just have to keep our head down and for the next six races, AB Motorsports says, ‘here we come.’”
Billy Torrence (Top Fuel), Tommy Johnson Jr. (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won last year’s race at Maple Grove Raceway. This year’s playoff opener will be broadcast on both the FOX broadcast network and Fox Sports 1 (FS1) in 2022 and will also serve as the NFL adjacent broadcast on FOX, putting the NHRA on a huge platform to open its 2022 playoffs. It is the 17th of 22 races in 2022 and the first of six playoff races, and it’s also a race Brown won in 2015 and 2016.
Those seasons ended with Brown hoisting the world championship trophy, something he would love to repeat in 2022. It won’t be easy, as a number of star drivers are ahead of the three-time world champ, including points leader Brittany Force, Mike Salinas, who has four wins this season, Justin Ashley, the runner-up in Reading last year, four-time defending world champ Steve Torrence and rising star Josh Hart. But Brown loves the drive and work he’s seen from his team, which has the entire first-year organization motivated heading into the postseason.
“All of our team has put that work in to get these results. It’s a testament to all of them. We never lost the faith and never gave up,” said Brown, who now has 69 career victories. “We got through the hard times and then we started making some big strides. I knew it was coming. We just have to be consistent and stick to our game and come to compete at a high level. We’ve got to stay humble, poised, fierce and we’ve got to go out there and give it all we’ve got.”
In Funny Car, defending world champ Ron Capps is geared up for a run at his third career world title. He also won in Indy, picking up his first career U.S. Nationals win, and sending a strong message that he’s capable of becoming a three-time world champ in the loaded category. To do so, he may have to get past a pair of three-time champs in Robert Hight, who is the current points leader, and Matt Hagan, as well as the likes of John Force, Bob Tasca III, who has three wins in 2022, J.R. Todd and Cruz Pedregon.
But Capps’ huge weekend in Indy put him in the second spot to open the Countdown to the Championship -- only 20 points back of Hight -- and he’ll try to win for the second time in Reading in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra. Capps also won at Maple Grove Raceway in 2017 and he enters the Countdown to the Championship with as much momentum as possible following his emotional first-time Indy triumph.
“This season has flown by, and I can hardly believe that we’re getting ready to head out to Reading to start the Countdown. We have a lot of excitement and momentum coming off our big weekend from the U.S. Nationals,” Capps said. “We’re all pretty excited to see what the Koretsky family has done since purchasing Maple Grove Raceway. Coming off of a big win like we did in Indy, it was nice to have a week off, but we’re excited to have the opportunity to put the car in the winner’s circle once again.”
Greg Anderson is after back-to-back wins in Reading, a race after picking up his 100th career victory as he also looks to defend his Pro Stock world title. Looking to stop him is points leader Erica Enders, who has six wins in 2022, Aaron Stanfield, Kyle Koretsky, whose family purchased Maple Grove Raceway earlier this year, Dallas Glenn and Troy Coughlin Jr.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith will look to start his title defense facing off with defending event winner Steve Johnson, Joey Gladstone, Angelle Sampey, Eddie Krawiec, Angie Smith, and Karen Stoffer.
The Pep Boys NHRA Nationals also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown category. On Friday, fans can witness all the thrills of a jet car exhibition after nitro qualifying, while the race also features the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Shootout. On Saturday, fans can also attend Nitro School to learn more about how the cars operate and reach their thrilling speeds.
Top Fuel Motorcycle star Larry “Spiderman” McBride will be in action at Reading as part of the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals. McBride went an incredible 268.38-mph in Virginia to make the fastest motorcycle pass in drag racing history and the veteran will make exhibition passes in Reading, attempting to go even faster at a track where several record-breaking performances have taken place over the years.
Race fans at Maple Grove Raceway can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce and celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday after racing concludes, where fans are invited to congratulate the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals event winners.
The road to the championship starts at this weekend’s 37th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the first of six races during the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs. On the strength of two wins in his past three races, including the most recent NHRA U.S. Nationals, Brown enters the playoffs with plenty of momentum in his 11,000-horsepower Matco Tools dragster.
He’s jumped out to sixth in the Top Fuel points standings, a considerable leap in just a month thanks to victories in Topeka – which was his first as a team owner – and Indy. It’s a loaded field of title contenders heading to Reading, but Brown might be peaking at the perfect time this season.
“We’re in the conversation now. With the Countdown right in front of us and us jumping from being 12th a few races ago to being sixth, I think we’re going to be in that talk,” Brown said. “We’re just going to go out there and compete and race for a championship, and that’s our mindset and our gameplan right now. But this whole class is ridiculous right now. We just have to keep our head down and for the next six races, AB Motorsports says, ‘here we come.’”
Billy Torrence (Top Fuel), Tommy Johnson Jr. (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won last year’s race at Maple Grove Raceway. This year’s playoff opener will be broadcast on both the FOX broadcast network and Fox Sports 1 (FS1) in 2022 and will also serve as the NFL adjacent broadcast on FOX, putting the NHRA on a huge platform to open its 2022 playoffs. It is the 17th of 22 races in 2022 and the first of six playoff races, and it’s also a race Brown won in 2015 and 2016.
Those seasons ended with Brown hoisting the world championship trophy, something he would love to repeat in 2022. It won’t be easy, as a number of star drivers are ahead of the three-time world champ, including points leader Brittany Force, Mike Salinas, who has four wins this season, Justin Ashley, the runner-up in Reading last year, four-time defending world champ Steve Torrence and rising star Josh Hart. But Brown loves the drive and work he’s seen from his team, which has the entire first-year organization motivated heading into the postseason.
“All of our team has put that work in to get these results. It’s a testament to all of them. We never lost the faith and never gave up,” said Brown, who now has 69 career victories. “We got through the hard times and then we started making some big strides. I knew it was coming. We just have to be consistent and stick to our game and come to compete at a high level. We’ve got to stay humble, poised, fierce and we’ve got to go out there and give it all we’ve got.”
In Funny Car, defending world champ Ron Capps is geared up for a run at his third career world title. He also won in Indy, picking up his first career U.S. Nationals win, and sending a strong message that he’s capable of becoming a three-time world champ in the loaded category. To do so, he may have to get past a pair of three-time champs in Robert Hight, who is the current points leader, and Matt Hagan, as well as the likes of John Force, Bob Tasca III, who has three wins in 2022, J.R. Todd and Cruz Pedregon.
But Capps’ huge weekend in Indy put him in the second spot to open the Countdown to the Championship -- only 20 points back of Hight -- and he’ll try to win for the second time in Reading in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra. Capps also won at Maple Grove Raceway in 2017 and he enters the Countdown to the Championship with as much momentum as possible following his emotional first-time Indy triumph.
“This season has flown by, and I can hardly believe that we’re getting ready to head out to Reading to start the Countdown. We have a lot of excitement and momentum coming off our big weekend from the U.S. Nationals,” Capps said. “We’re all pretty excited to see what the Koretsky family has done since purchasing Maple Grove Raceway. Coming off of a big win like we did in Indy, it was nice to have a week off, but we’re excited to have the opportunity to put the car in the winner’s circle once again.”
Greg Anderson is after back-to-back wins in Reading, a race after picking up his 100th career victory as he also looks to defend his Pro Stock world title. Looking to stop him is points leader Erica Enders, who has six wins in 2022, Aaron Stanfield, Kyle Koretsky, whose family purchased Maple Grove Raceway earlier this year, Dallas Glenn and Troy Coughlin Jr.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith will look to start his title defense facing off with defending event winner Steve Johnson, Joey Gladstone, Angelle Sampey, Eddie Krawiec, Angie Smith, and Karen Stoffer.
The Pep Boys NHRA Nationals also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown category. On Friday, fans can witness all the thrills of a jet car exhibition after nitro qualifying, while the race also features the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Shootout. On Saturday, fans can also attend Nitro School to learn more about how the cars operate and reach their thrilling speeds.
Top Fuel Motorcycle star Larry “Spiderman” McBride will be in action at Reading as part of the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals. McBride went an incredible 268.38-mph in Virginia to make the fastest motorcycle pass in drag racing history and the veteran will make exhibition passes in Reading, attempting to go even faster at a track where several record-breaking performances have taken place over the years.
Race fans at Maple Grove Raceway can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce and celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday after racing concludes, where fans are invited to congratulate the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals event winners.
Its Official: Kyle Busch ends up at RCR Racing
Will Power wins his 2nd Indy Car Championship at Monterrey Grand Prix
MONTEREY, Calif. (Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022) – It wasn’t easy for differing reasons, but Will Power and Alex Palou both ended up winners Sunday after the season-ending Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Power survived varying tire strategies and challenges from rivals to finish third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and clinch his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship, adding to his 2014 title. The championship came just one day after Power set the INDYCAR SERIES career record with his 68th pole, breaking a tie with fellow legend Mario Andretti.
SEE: Race Results
“Man, I had to drive the thing today,” Power said. “It was on the edge, very loose. Man, what a relief. What a relief to get that done.”
Power, 41, from Australia, won just one race this season, but this was his series-leading 12th top-five finish in 17 races – three more than any other driver. Power and Scott Dixon also were the only drivers to finish every lap this season.
That consistency was part of a mental shift this season by Power to take what the car offered each race and not overdrive into mistakes. The newfound, Zen-like focus proved pivotal.
“From the beginning (of the season), it was just playing the long game, not necessarily going for the big wins and all that,” Power said.
This was the 17th INDYCAR SERIES championship by a Team Penske driver, extending the team’s record. Power beat teammate Josef Newgarden to the crown by just 16 points.
Palou ended his reign as series champion with his first victory of the season in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, dominating the race and beating Newgarden to the checkered flag by 30.3812 seconds, the largest margin of victory this season by more than 24 seconds. Palou delivered a victory after a fraught summer marked by a still-unresolved contractual dispute for his driving services next season between Chip Ganassi Racing and McLaren Racing.
The win came despite a six-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change after qualifying Saturday, dropping Palou from fifth to 11th on the starting grid.
“We struggled a bit (at) some races, especially the last couple of races,” Palou said. “But today was awesome. Strategy was on point. It’s good to finish a season with a win. We had some power there and good fuel mileage.”
Palou first took the lead on Lap 16 and proved to be the dominant driver almost immediately. He led 67 of the 95 laps in a race slowed by just three caution periods.
Spaniard Palou’s gap over second-place Power was 8.6287 seconds on Lap 50, but Palou rocketed away during the second half of the race as rivals managed varying tire and pit strategies. Palou used the Firestone alternate tires only from Laps 20 to 38 and then blitzed the field for the rest of the way on Firestone primary tires on the slick, highly abrasive surface of the 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit.
By Lap 62, Palou’s gap over Power was 20 seconds. It was checkout time.
“We struggled a bit during the whole weekend, and I don’t know what happened today,” said Palou, who won three races last year en route to the title. “But everything clicked. Super happy to win a race this year.”
Newgarden started the day second in the standings, 21 points behind Power, who earned a bonus point for the NTT P1 Award Saturday. He faced long odds for capturing his third championship due to starting 25th in the 26-car field after spinning off track in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet during the first round of qualifying.
But Newgarden never relented in his tenacious long shot bid to overhaul teammate Power. He started the race on Firestone primary tires – the opposite approach of title rivals Power, Dixon and Marcus Ericsson – and also made one more pit stop than Power in an attempt to use fresher tires and a full-bore fuel mixture to gain track position.
The gambit nearly worked. Newgarden exited the pits on Lap 36 on new Firestone primary tires and started inhaling rivals, especially with frightening closing speed entering the daunting “Corkscrew” turn complex.
Newgarden passed the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet of Pato O’Ward for fourth on Lap 43 in the Corkscrew and then repeated that move one lap later for third place, passing the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet of Felix Rosenqvist.
Power was next on the hit list. Newgarden sailed past his teammate on Lap 46 at the top of the Corkscrew for second place. But Power didn’t panic, again focusing on the long view while doing title arithmetic in his brain at 175 mph.
“I just knew I had to absolutely get the most out of those stints and not lose any more positions,” Power said.
Newgarden had no chance to catch Palou, who already was in a different stratosphere, up by seven seconds just four laps after a Lap 41 restart. The top three cars held station for the rest of the race, sealing the title for Power.
“Even yesterday, with the heartache there, we came back, we fought, and we nearly got there,” Newgarden said. “I’m proud of the effort. We’re going to come back stronger next year.
“But I’m proud of this team. Huge congrats to Will and the entire team.”
Six-time series champion Dixon placed third in the standings, 39 points behind Power, after his 12th-place finish in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Scott McLaughlin ended up fourth in points in just his second season of open-wheel racing after his sixth-place finish in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet.
2021 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Ericsson finished his best NTT INDYCAR SERIES season fifth in points after placing ninth in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Christian Lundgaard earned series Rookie of the Year honors with his fifth-place finish in the No. 30 PeopleReady Honda. Lundgaard ended with an 18-point gap over David Malukas, who finished 13th today in the No. 18 HMD Honda.
Palou will split $10,000 with his Chip Ganassi Racing team and his chosen charity for his victory as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge.
Power survived varying tire strategies and challenges from rivals to finish third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and clinch his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship, adding to his 2014 title. The championship came just one day after Power set the INDYCAR SERIES career record with his 68th pole, breaking a tie with fellow legend Mario Andretti.
SEE: Race Results
“Man, I had to drive the thing today,” Power said. “It was on the edge, very loose. Man, what a relief. What a relief to get that done.”
Power, 41, from Australia, won just one race this season, but this was his series-leading 12th top-five finish in 17 races – three more than any other driver. Power and Scott Dixon also were the only drivers to finish every lap this season.
That consistency was part of a mental shift this season by Power to take what the car offered each race and not overdrive into mistakes. The newfound, Zen-like focus proved pivotal.
“From the beginning (of the season), it was just playing the long game, not necessarily going for the big wins and all that,” Power said.
This was the 17th INDYCAR SERIES championship by a Team Penske driver, extending the team’s record. Power beat teammate Josef Newgarden to the crown by just 16 points.
Palou ended his reign as series champion with his first victory of the season in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, dominating the race and beating Newgarden to the checkered flag by 30.3812 seconds, the largest margin of victory this season by more than 24 seconds. Palou delivered a victory after a fraught summer marked by a still-unresolved contractual dispute for his driving services next season between Chip Ganassi Racing and McLaren Racing.
The win came despite a six-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change after qualifying Saturday, dropping Palou from fifth to 11th on the starting grid.
“We struggled a bit (at) some races, especially the last couple of races,” Palou said. “But today was awesome. Strategy was on point. It’s good to finish a season with a win. We had some power there and good fuel mileage.”
Palou first took the lead on Lap 16 and proved to be the dominant driver almost immediately. He led 67 of the 95 laps in a race slowed by just three caution periods.
Spaniard Palou’s gap over second-place Power was 8.6287 seconds on Lap 50, but Palou rocketed away during the second half of the race as rivals managed varying tire and pit strategies. Palou used the Firestone alternate tires only from Laps 20 to 38 and then blitzed the field for the rest of the way on Firestone primary tires on the slick, highly abrasive surface of the 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit.
By Lap 62, Palou’s gap over Power was 20 seconds. It was checkout time.
“We struggled a bit during the whole weekend, and I don’t know what happened today,” said Palou, who won three races last year en route to the title. “But everything clicked. Super happy to win a race this year.”
Newgarden started the day second in the standings, 21 points behind Power, who earned a bonus point for the NTT P1 Award Saturday. He faced long odds for capturing his third championship due to starting 25th in the 26-car field after spinning off track in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet during the first round of qualifying.
But Newgarden never relented in his tenacious long shot bid to overhaul teammate Power. He started the race on Firestone primary tires – the opposite approach of title rivals Power, Dixon and Marcus Ericsson – and also made one more pit stop than Power in an attempt to use fresher tires and a full-bore fuel mixture to gain track position.
The gambit nearly worked. Newgarden exited the pits on Lap 36 on new Firestone primary tires and started inhaling rivals, especially with frightening closing speed entering the daunting “Corkscrew” turn complex.
Newgarden passed the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet of Pato O’Ward for fourth on Lap 43 in the Corkscrew and then repeated that move one lap later for third place, passing the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet of Felix Rosenqvist.
Power was next on the hit list. Newgarden sailed past his teammate on Lap 46 at the top of the Corkscrew for second place. But Power didn’t panic, again focusing on the long view while doing title arithmetic in his brain at 175 mph.
“I just knew I had to absolutely get the most out of those stints and not lose any more positions,” Power said.
Newgarden had no chance to catch Palou, who already was in a different stratosphere, up by seven seconds just four laps after a Lap 41 restart. The top three cars held station for the rest of the race, sealing the title for Power.
“Even yesterday, with the heartache there, we came back, we fought, and we nearly got there,” Newgarden said. “I’m proud of the effort. We’re going to come back stronger next year.
“But I’m proud of this team. Huge congrats to Will and the entire team.”
Six-time series champion Dixon placed third in the standings, 39 points behind Power, after his 12th-place finish in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Scott McLaughlin ended up fourth in points in just his second season of open-wheel racing after his sixth-place finish in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet.
2021 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Ericsson finished his best NTT INDYCAR SERIES season fifth in points after placing ninth in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Christian Lundgaard earned series Rookie of the Year honors with his fifth-place finish in the No. 30 PeopleReady Honda. Lundgaard ended with an 18-point gap over David Malukas, who finished 13th today in the No. 18 HMD Honda.
Palou will split $10,000 with his Chip Ganassi Racing team and his chosen charity for his victory as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge.
Tahir Whitehead retires from NFL as a Detroit Lion
The Lions’ 2012 draft pick announced on Friday that he has retired from the NFL and wanted to do so as a Detroit Lion.
By Jeremy Reisman
NFL linebacker Tahir Whitehead announced his retirement from the league on Friday afternoon at the Detroit Lions facility in Allen Park. Whitehead enjoyed 10 seasons in the NFL, playing for four different teams: the Raiders, Panthers, Cardinals, and, of course, the Lions.
Whitehead hasn’t played in Detroit since 2017, yet he wanted to announce his retirement in Detroit. The Lions were the team that drafted him in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft and eventually developed him into a starter. Whitehead was basically a full-time starter from 2014 to 2019, tallying at least 100 tackles in four of those six seasons.
Even though the remaining four years of his career were spent with those other teams, it was important for Whitehead to return to where his career started.
“I probably preferred to never leave, if you ask me,” Whitehead said. “Like just the city itself, the city I’ve always held it near and dear to my heart. So I wanted to play my whole career here, and so for me, that’s why it was important to come back and retire a Lion.”
In Detroit, Whitehead played a total of six years, missing just three games over that span and starting 54. As a Lion, he tallied 399 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 18 passes defended, and four interceptions. Stepping in for an injured Stephen Tulloch, he was a big part of the Lions’ vaunted 2014 defense that ranked third in points allowed and first in run defense. That year, the Lions went 11-5 and nearly won their first playoff game in 20 years.
“I think that was a focal point in my career,” Whitehead said.
Whitehead’s retirement comes five years after his former teammate Tulloch retired at the same podium in an emotional press conference.
By Jeremy Reisman
NFL linebacker Tahir Whitehead announced his retirement from the league on Friday afternoon at the Detroit Lions facility in Allen Park. Whitehead enjoyed 10 seasons in the NFL, playing for four different teams: the Raiders, Panthers, Cardinals, and, of course, the Lions.
Whitehead hasn’t played in Detroit since 2017, yet he wanted to announce his retirement in Detroit. The Lions were the team that drafted him in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft and eventually developed him into a starter. Whitehead was basically a full-time starter from 2014 to 2019, tallying at least 100 tackles in four of those six seasons.
Even though the remaining four years of his career were spent with those other teams, it was important for Whitehead to return to where his career started.
“I probably preferred to never leave, if you ask me,” Whitehead said. “Like just the city itself, the city I’ve always held it near and dear to my heart. So I wanted to play my whole career here, and so for me, that’s why it was important to come back and retire a Lion.”
In Detroit, Whitehead played a total of six years, missing just three games over that span and starting 54. As a Lion, he tallied 399 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 18 passes defended, and four interceptions. Stepping in for an injured Stephen Tulloch, he was a big part of the Lions’ vaunted 2014 defense that ranked third in points allowed and first in run defense. That year, the Lions went 11-5 and nearly won their first playoff game in 20 years.
“I think that was a focal point in my career,” Whitehead said.
Whitehead’s retirement comes five years after his former teammate Tulloch retired at the same podium in an emotional press conference.
Big Finish By Gabby Lopez Seals it in Sylvania
VAMOS!”: GABY LOPEZ RALLIES TO EARN THIRD CAREER VICTORY
She knew it would take a significant effort. Gaby Lopez started the final round of the Dana Open presented by Marathon four shots back of the lead in a tie for 11th at -10, and there was no other option but to go low. Lopez did exactly that, firing a Sunday 63 to tie her career-low 18-hole score to finish at -18 overall and earn her third career LPGA Tour title. It’s her first victory since the 2020 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, an effort for which she gives credits to her team, family and the work she’s put in off and on the course, fighting through two injuries this past season.
“I just felt like nothing was really clicking for me over the year. I was struggling physically, struggling mentally, and that's where the doubts and fears come from,” said Lopez, whose 266 is also a new 72-hole personal record for the Mexican. “You just got to keep it real and accept where you are and just got to surround yourself with great people.”
Lopez went bogey-free for the second time this week, opening with three birdies in her first nine holes, and notched two more on Nos. 10 and 13. “We made that birdie putt (on 13) and I stayed calm. I did fist pump because I do a lot of fist pumps, but I stayed calm and I knew that we had a chance. That's all I wanted. I just wanted a chance. I was hitting such amazing shots into the greens all day long. I missed a couple six-footers for birdie,” said Lopez. “My caddie was like, ‘Hey, stay patient, stay in the moment. We're not done yet.’”
It was the final three holes that made the difference for the 28-year-old. Battling for the win alongside playing partner Megan Khang, Lopez hit a solid drive on 16 and knocked her approach to two feet for an easy birdie. On 17, this week’s Aon Risk Reward Challenge Hole, she hit a 3-wood into the bunker and almost holed it for eagle, ultimately making the birdie putt and taking the solo lead with one hole to play. Lopez then had another bunker shot on the par-5 18th, and ultimately drained the mid-range birdie putt, giving herself the win and avoiding a potential playoff with Khang.
“I was standing over the last putt and I told myself, this is exactly what I worked for, this is exactly what I trained for,” said Lopez. “I knew I had to make it. I knew I had to make it because Megan was putting beautifully. She got on a roll as well and made a couple birdies. So I told myself, well, I'm just going to try to roll it through here. If it rolls through this spot, it has a great chance. And so I tried to be calm all day long, but sometimes excitement gets me and I couldn't hold it for the last putt.”
Khang’s 7-under 64 also tied her personal best, which she last shot in the first round of the Cognizant Founder’s Cup this past May. The American took advantage of the scorable conditions, making five birdies in her first nine holes. She carded another birdie on the 11th and was fighting for the lead with seven holes to play. The momentum fizzled a bit from Nos. 12-17 – including a missed birdie putt on No. 16 that drifted just pass the cup – but her closing birdie on 18 cemented her career-best Tour finish of solo second in Sylvania.
Caroline Masson finished in third at -16 after a final-round 68, grinding back after opening her day with double bogey on the first and a bogey on the second. It’s her best result since a she finished runner-up at the 2021 Cognizant Founders Cup and it’s her second top-10 of the year, following a tie for ninth at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards.
“This good finish was really huge for me just making sure I get into CME. It was looking like the worst season ever for me in ten years and I didn't want it to be that way,” said Masson. “I felt I was playing too good to not get the top finishes. Just really pumped to get that this week and kind of free myself up a little bit for the rest of the year.”
Lucy Li, who held the 36- and 54-hole lead this week for the first time on Tour in her young career, finished in a tie for fourth with Sarah Schmelzel and LPGA Tour rookie Ruoning Yin at -15. Finishing in the top 10 for the second-straight week on Tour, Li played her way into next week’s Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, and said she’ll look to make the most of yet another opportunity on the LPGA.
“I'm really excited to play next week. I've heard that's going to be a good tournament. And Portland,” said Li, speaking of a recent sponsor exemption she received into the AmazingCre Portland Classic. “And then finally get some rest after that.”
The 2021 champion Nasa Hataoka finished tied for seventh with Frida Kinhult and Xiyu Lin at -14, with LPGA Tour winners Carlota Ciganda, Hannah Green and Leona Maguire in a tie for 10th at -13.
PARELLELS FOR LOPEZ IN SYLVANIA
The journey to her third career title has been a whirlwind for Gaby Lopez. Lopez became a Rolex First-Time Winner back in 2018 the week of her 25th birthday at the Blue Bay LPGA, becoming the first Mexican winner on Tour since her idol, mentor and friend, Lorena Ochoa. She notched her second win two years later at the 2020 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, the season opener, in a seven-hole playoff that bled into the following Monday. And it took tying her career-best 18-hole score with a final-round 63, to hoist the trophy at the Dana Open presented by Marathon.
“It's been such a completely different Sunday. Honestly, it's going to sound crazy, but today felt more like a Friday round. Having that calmness and having that quiet space was exactly what we been working on. It has paid off. Honestly, it gets more simple if I do that.”
She’s fought through two different injuries in 2022. The first was a torn ligament in her neck that happened after she did a squat jump trying to touch the ceiling and that led to Lopez withdrawing from a few tournaments earlier this season. Later in the spring, she was diagnosed with tendonitis in her left wrist, and said she felt like nothing was “clicking” for her over the summer. Though she struggled mentally and physically, Lopez was proud to overcome the fears and doubts that come with injury en route to a memorable Sunday.
“Sometimes the biggest win is not winning over the field, it's winning against yourself and getting out of the way. To me, it's overcoming those fears, overcoming those battles, those doubts, because sometimes you don't believe in yourself when you're in a hard stretch, right?,” said Lopez. “So I think that's the biggest win: being able to recover myself from two injuries I had at the beginning of the year. That sets you back, and you start doubting even more if you can come back from an injury, if you can come back with more speed and consistency.”
Adding plenty of serendipity to the week, Lopez’s family may have even predicted this week’s outcome before any shot was played. “We're playing in Sylvania, and my grandmother's name is Vania, so it's so funny, because she told my mom at the beginning of the week, ‘Oh, she's going to win because it's Sylvania and I'm Vania.’ It's probably the greatest coincidence, because this win definitely goes to her,” said Lopez. “She is my guide through life and to God, and I'm super thankful that I still have her. I'm going to share this with her.”
MEGAN KHANG COMES CLOSE ONCE AGAIN AT DANA OPEN PRESENTED BY MARATHON
There’s been no closer call for Megan Khang this season than the final round at the Dana Open presented by Marathon. Khang started the day four back of 54-hole leader Lucy Li and came out swinging on her opening nine holes, carding five birdies in seven holes to turn in 29 and tie the lead. Her next birdie came on the 11th, giving Khang the solo lead at -16, but her putter went cold and her playing partner, Gaby Lopez, got hot, birdieing Nos. 16 and 17 to pull one ahead. Both players put their second shots in the bunker on the reachable, par-5 18th and Lopez barely got hers out, splashing it to mid-range, with Khang nearly holing out for eagle, setting up a two-foot birdie that would send the pair to a playoff. But the fiery Lopez buried her putt in the heart of the cup, spelling the end for Khang who was looking for her the first win of her seven-year LPGA Tour career.
“My front nine was incredible. I was rolling the ball really well on the greens, and Jack and I kind of just were out there and we were like, Hey, we're not in the last group but we're pretty close. We're chasing and we just got to give ourselves the best chance at it,” said Khang who only needed 27 putts on Sunday to finish solo second. “There is always a little bit of disappointment, but Gaby played an amazing round as well. A lot of mixed feelings, but I gave myself chances, and just going to take what I learned from this week and carry it on for my career.”
Her runner-up performance is Khang’s fourth top 10 and second top five of the 2022 season, and solo second is not only her best result of the year but also the best finish of her LPGA Tour career as well. Khang’s Sunday 64 ties her career-low round which she last shot in May at the Cognizant Founders Cup, and her four-round total of 267 marks a new career-best for 72 holes, beating out her previous record of 269 by two shots. In all, the week was a resounding success for the 24-year-old, and while getting beat out by a single stroke always stings, Khang has plenty of positives from her week in Toledo that she’ll carry with her throughout the rest of the season.
“I feel like I've been hitting the ball pretty well this year,” said Khang who hit 9 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens on day four. “Putts haven't been dropping as much as I would like them to, but I feel like I have been playing well. The scores haven't necessarily reflected it, but having this week and finishing where I'm going to finish at the end of the day, definitely gives me a lot of confidence. I know my ball striking and the way I'm rolling the ball right now is pretty solid for the next four or five events of the year.”
She knew it would take a significant effort. Gaby Lopez started the final round of the Dana Open presented by Marathon four shots back of the lead in a tie for 11th at -10, and there was no other option but to go low. Lopez did exactly that, firing a Sunday 63 to tie her career-low 18-hole score to finish at -18 overall and earn her third career LPGA Tour title. It’s her first victory since the 2020 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, an effort for which she gives credits to her team, family and the work she’s put in off and on the course, fighting through two injuries this past season.
“I just felt like nothing was really clicking for me over the year. I was struggling physically, struggling mentally, and that's where the doubts and fears come from,” said Lopez, whose 266 is also a new 72-hole personal record for the Mexican. “You just got to keep it real and accept where you are and just got to surround yourself with great people.”
Lopez went bogey-free for the second time this week, opening with three birdies in her first nine holes, and notched two more on Nos. 10 and 13. “We made that birdie putt (on 13) and I stayed calm. I did fist pump because I do a lot of fist pumps, but I stayed calm and I knew that we had a chance. That's all I wanted. I just wanted a chance. I was hitting such amazing shots into the greens all day long. I missed a couple six-footers for birdie,” said Lopez. “My caddie was like, ‘Hey, stay patient, stay in the moment. We're not done yet.’”
It was the final three holes that made the difference for the 28-year-old. Battling for the win alongside playing partner Megan Khang, Lopez hit a solid drive on 16 and knocked her approach to two feet for an easy birdie. On 17, this week’s Aon Risk Reward Challenge Hole, she hit a 3-wood into the bunker and almost holed it for eagle, ultimately making the birdie putt and taking the solo lead with one hole to play. Lopez then had another bunker shot on the par-5 18th, and ultimately drained the mid-range birdie putt, giving herself the win and avoiding a potential playoff with Khang.
“I was standing over the last putt and I told myself, this is exactly what I worked for, this is exactly what I trained for,” said Lopez. “I knew I had to make it. I knew I had to make it because Megan was putting beautifully. She got on a roll as well and made a couple birdies. So I told myself, well, I'm just going to try to roll it through here. If it rolls through this spot, it has a great chance. And so I tried to be calm all day long, but sometimes excitement gets me and I couldn't hold it for the last putt.”
Khang’s 7-under 64 also tied her personal best, which she last shot in the first round of the Cognizant Founder’s Cup this past May. The American took advantage of the scorable conditions, making five birdies in her first nine holes. She carded another birdie on the 11th and was fighting for the lead with seven holes to play. The momentum fizzled a bit from Nos. 12-17 – including a missed birdie putt on No. 16 that drifted just pass the cup – but her closing birdie on 18 cemented her career-best Tour finish of solo second in Sylvania.
Caroline Masson finished in third at -16 after a final-round 68, grinding back after opening her day with double bogey on the first and a bogey on the second. It’s her best result since a she finished runner-up at the 2021 Cognizant Founders Cup and it’s her second top-10 of the year, following a tie for ninth at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards.
“This good finish was really huge for me just making sure I get into CME. It was looking like the worst season ever for me in ten years and I didn't want it to be that way,” said Masson. “I felt I was playing too good to not get the top finishes. Just really pumped to get that this week and kind of free myself up a little bit for the rest of the year.”
Lucy Li, who held the 36- and 54-hole lead this week for the first time on Tour in her young career, finished in a tie for fourth with Sarah Schmelzel and LPGA Tour rookie Ruoning Yin at -15. Finishing in the top 10 for the second-straight week on Tour, Li played her way into next week’s Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, and said she’ll look to make the most of yet another opportunity on the LPGA.
“I'm really excited to play next week. I've heard that's going to be a good tournament. And Portland,” said Li, speaking of a recent sponsor exemption she received into the AmazingCre Portland Classic. “And then finally get some rest after that.”
The 2021 champion Nasa Hataoka finished tied for seventh with Frida Kinhult and Xiyu Lin at -14, with LPGA Tour winners Carlota Ciganda, Hannah Green and Leona Maguire in a tie for 10th at -13.
PARELLELS FOR LOPEZ IN SYLVANIA
The journey to her third career title has been a whirlwind for Gaby Lopez. Lopez became a Rolex First-Time Winner back in 2018 the week of her 25th birthday at the Blue Bay LPGA, becoming the first Mexican winner on Tour since her idol, mentor and friend, Lorena Ochoa. She notched her second win two years later at the 2020 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, the season opener, in a seven-hole playoff that bled into the following Monday. And it took tying her career-best 18-hole score with a final-round 63, to hoist the trophy at the Dana Open presented by Marathon.
“It's been such a completely different Sunday. Honestly, it's going to sound crazy, but today felt more like a Friday round. Having that calmness and having that quiet space was exactly what we been working on. It has paid off. Honestly, it gets more simple if I do that.”
She’s fought through two different injuries in 2022. The first was a torn ligament in her neck that happened after she did a squat jump trying to touch the ceiling and that led to Lopez withdrawing from a few tournaments earlier this season. Later in the spring, she was diagnosed with tendonitis in her left wrist, and said she felt like nothing was “clicking” for her over the summer. Though she struggled mentally and physically, Lopez was proud to overcome the fears and doubts that come with injury en route to a memorable Sunday.
“Sometimes the biggest win is not winning over the field, it's winning against yourself and getting out of the way. To me, it's overcoming those fears, overcoming those battles, those doubts, because sometimes you don't believe in yourself when you're in a hard stretch, right?,” said Lopez. “So I think that's the biggest win: being able to recover myself from two injuries I had at the beginning of the year. That sets you back, and you start doubting even more if you can come back from an injury, if you can come back with more speed and consistency.”
Adding plenty of serendipity to the week, Lopez’s family may have even predicted this week’s outcome before any shot was played. “We're playing in Sylvania, and my grandmother's name is Vania, so it's so funny, because she told my mom at the beginning of the week, ‘Oh, she's going to win because it's Sylvania and I'm Vania.’ It's probably the greatest coincidence, because this win definitely goes to her,” said Lopez. “She is my guide through life and to God, and I'm super thankful that I still have her. I'm going to share this with her.”
MEGAN KHANG COMES CLOSE ONCE AGAIN AT DANA OPEN PRESENTED BY MARATHON
There’s been no closer call for Megan Khang this season than the final round at the Dana Open presented by Marathon. Khang started the day four back of 54-hole leader Lucy Li and came out swinging on her opening nine holes, carding five birdies in seven holes to turn in 29 and tie the lead. Her next birdie came on the 11th, giving Khang the solo lead at -16, but her putter went cold and her playing partner, Gaby Lopez, got hot, birdieing Nos. 16 and 17 to pull one ahead. Both players put their second shots in the bunker on the reachable, par-5 18th and Lopez barely got hers out, splashing it to mid-range, with Khang nearly holing out for eagle, setting up a two-foot birdie that would send the pair to a playoff. But the fiery Lopez buried her putt in the heart of the cup, spelling the end for Khang who was looking for her the first win of her seven-year LPGA Tour career.
“My front nine was incredible. I was rolling the ball really well on the greens, and Jack and I kind of just were out there and we were like, Hey, we're not in the last group but we're pretty close. We're chasing and we just got to give ourselves the best chance at it,” said Khang who only needed 27 putts on Sunday to finish solo second. “There is always a little bit of disappointment, but Gaby played an amazing round as well. A lot of mixed feelings, but I gave myself chances, and just going to take what I learned from this week and carry it on for my career.”
Her runner-up performance is Khang’s fourth top 10 and second top five of the 2022 season, and solo second is not only her best result of the year but also the best finish of her LPGA Tour career as well. Khang’s Sunday 64 ties her career-low round which she last shot in May at the Cognizant Founders Cup, and her four-round total of 267 marks a new career-best for 72 holes, beating out her previous record of 269 by two shots. In all, the week was a resounding success for the 24-year-old, and while getting beat out by a single stroke always stings, Khang has plenty of positives from her week in Toledo that she’ll carry with her throughout the rest of the season.
“I feel like I've been hitting the ball pretty well this year,” said Khang who hit 9 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens on day four. “Putts haven't been dropping as much as I would like them to, but I feel like I have been playing well. The scores haven't necessarily reflected it, but having this week and finishing where I'm going to finish at the end of the day, definitely gives me a lot of confidence. I know my ball striking and the way I'm rolling the ball right now is pretty solid for the next four or five events of the year.”
LUCY LI CARRIES LEAD INTO SUNDAY AT DANA OPEN PRESENTED BY MARATHON
With 18 holes left to play, Lucy Li is looking to add another accolade to her young resume at the Dana Open presented by Marathon. Li battled on a hot and humid day in Sylvania to maintain her lead from Friday, following her second-round 64 with a Saturday 67 to sit one stroke ahead of the pack at -14. Her 199 is her first 36-hole score on Tour below 200, besting her previous record that was set at the 2022 Honda LPGA Thailand where she finished T12.
The American, who has two professional wins on the Epson Tour in 2022, said she battled a few nerves on the first tee, getting off to a rocky start with bogeys on Nos. 1 and 7. Instead of faltering, Li rebounded with a birdie on No. 8 and continued to pick up speed after the turn.
“Birdieing 10, that was a good one. And then I think the birdie on 14, the par 3, was huge because I just missed a short putt the hole before, and so I was a little bit upset about that. It was nice to get one back there. A little bit of a longer putt. Kind of made up for the putt before,” said Li. “So it was just good to keep the momentum going.”
Li would go on to birdie two of her last three holes, Nos. 16 and 17, before stepping off the final green at Highland Meadows Golf Club with the clubhouse lead. Although she’s already secured her LPGA Tour card for 2023 through the Epson Tour top 10, Li could accept immediate Membership with a win on Sunday and become the season’s ninth Rolex First-Time Winner. The 19-year-old would also be the second winner under the age of 20 this season, following 2022 rookie Atthaya Thitikul in her victory at the JTBC Classic presented by Barbasol, and is currently sitting in a place she never expected to be in so soon in her professional golf career.
“It's been a kind of a whirlwind couple of months. Definitely didn't expected to be here a couple months ago, so I'm just really grateful to be here and have this opportunity,” said Li. “Whatever happens tomorrow will happen.”
Lurking behind Li are LPGA Tour winners Caroline Masson and Lexi Thompson in a tie for second at -13 after both players carded 6-under 65s. Masson went bogey-free for the second straight day, making three birdies on her first nine holes and three coming in on 16, 17 and 18. A victory on Sunday would be six years to the day since she last won on Tour at the 2016 Manulife Classic.
Thompson’s round was highlighted by an eagle on No. 9 and three birdies at 15, 16 and 17 that got her into Sunday’s final group alongside the youngster Li, who bested Thompson’s record at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open presented by ProMedica by becoming the youngest qualifier in the major championship’s history.
“I played with her a little bit. Not so much out here, but I think everybody knows how amazing of a player she is. I think she's broken every record,” said Thompson. “Just speaks wonders to the amount of work that she's put into her game, just the amount of talent she has. So I'm really looking forward to playing with her tomorrow, and hopefully just be a lot of birdies to be made.”
Seven players sit in a tie for fourth at -11, including defending champion Nasa Hataoka and 2019 Dana Open winner Sei Young Kim, who had a near albatross that led to an easy eagle putt on No. 18. “The tee shot little pulled it and it was miss it left bunker so I had good luck. And then from the second shot to the pin is 200 meters, and then if I hit over the pin it's no chance to make the birdie, so I had to pitch front edge. I hit solid and pitch front edge and it was almost make it,” said Kim. “I'm very happy to do that. I never had an albatross in my life, so it was close.”
Lydia Ko is also among that star-studded group. First off No. 10 in the morning wave, Ko’s 64 put her in prime position just three shots back of Li to potentially earn the 18th victory of her LPGA Tour career. “Every day is a new day. You never know what's going to happen,” said Ko. “I just got to focus on my game and have fun out there and see what happens after the end of tomorrow.”
WITH A WIN
Lucy Li could accept immediate LPGA Tour Membership; her 500 CME Points and earnings from the Dana Open would then become official, and she would become a 2022 Tour rookie
Li would become the season’s ninth Rolex First Time Winner, and the fifth consecutive, dating back to Ayaka Furue at the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open
Lexi Thompson would earn her first victory since the 2019 ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer and the 12th of her career
Thompson would become the 47th player in the Tour’s history with at least 12 wins in her career; she would also slide into a tie for 45th on the All-Time Wins List with Ariya Jutanugarn and Sei Young Kim
Thompson or Li would be the seventh different American to win in 2022, and first since Jennifer Kupcho and Lizette Salas at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational
Caroline Masson would earn her second Tour victory and first since the 2016 Manulife LPGA Classic, which she won on September 4, 2016 (over 2,190 days ago)
Masson would be the first player from Germany to win twice in Tour history; only three other German players have one victory: Tina Fischer (2001), Sandra Gal (2011) and Sophia Popov (2020), the last German winner on Tour
LEXI THOMPSON TIED FOR SECOND AHEAD OF SUNDAY IN SYLVANIA
It was another round in the 60s for Lexi Thompson on Moving Day at the Dana Open presented by Marathon, one that has propelled her into a tie for second with 18 holes to go. The 11-time LPGA Tour winner fired a sporty 6-under 65 on Saturday at Highland Meadows Golf Club, a round that was highlighted by an eagle on the par-4 ninth and five birdies including three in a row on holes 15, 16, and 17. Tied with Germany’s Caroline Masson at -13, Thompson sits one back of two-time Epson Tour winner Lucy Li who holds the 54-hole lead at -14 and is looking to capture her first win since the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer in 2019.
“No. 9, they moved it up quite a bit to make it drivable for us. I think it was actually only my second drive of the first nine, and I hit it very good. Ended up rolling about 20 feet just short of the hole and made it and walked off with a 2. On my stat card, I'm like, driver, green, in the hole. I'm like that's weird, on a par-4,” said Thompson of her fourth eagle of the season. “I'm sure there will be a few more tucked pins, but at the same time, a few accessible ones, so be able to go low and make those birdies out there. So just hit the fairways and give myself those birdie opportunities. Hopefully a good amount drop. All I can do is focus on my game and emotions and see where that takes me.”
It’s the sixth time this season Thompson has been within five of the lead entering the final round, and in her seven previous Dana Open starts, she’s had three top-five finishes – two runner-up results in 2017 and 2019 and a tie for third in 2013. She’s been striking it well so far this week and continued that in round three, hitting 12 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens, and her performance with the flatstick has also been solid with Thompson needing less than 30 putts per round over the last three days. But while everything seems to be leaning in her favor, veteran Thompson knows better than to get ahead of herself and will just be taking Sunday as it comes, no matter the final result.
“I go into every tournament wanting to win,” said Thompson. “It has not worked out the way I want it to in a few events, but that's golf. I think you never lose; you're always learning. That's what I've taken from those experiences. There is always something to build on and learn from those days. It's golf. It's a crazy game. It can be with you one day and not the next. So just (need to) hit the fairways and give myself those birdie opportunities. Hopefully a good amount drop. All I can do is focus on my game and emotions and see where that takes me.”
CAROLINE MASSON WITH BACK-TO-BACK BOGEY-FREE ROUNDS AT DANA OPEN PRESENTED BY MARATHON
Germany’s Caroline Masson muscled her way into a tie for second with major champion Lexi Thompson after carding a second-consecutive bogey-free round on Moving Day at the Dana Open presented by Marathon. The 33-year-old fired a 6-under 65 on Saturday, making birdies on Nos. 5, 6, and 8 on the front nine and then recorded three more in her last three holes. The score is her lowest of the 2022 season and her 54-hole total of 200 is now the second lowest of her LPGA Tour career. This is the first time this season that Masson has been within five of the lead entering the final round and she’s been impressed with her play so far this week in Sylvania, giving a lot of credit to her ability to remain patient on the greens.
“Really nice to finish with three birdies. I think I did the same thing as yesterday: stayed patient, waiting for the putts to drop. I hit a really good second shot into 16 to probably six feet, so good chance there,” said Masson. “Both 17 and 18 now had really good tee shots; hit the green in two both times, so actually had eagle putts. You're hoping for one of them maybe to fall in but hit two good putts, and easy birdies are always nice.”
It hasn’t been Masson’s best year on the LPGA Tour. She’s missed eight cuts in 18 starts with her best stroke-play result coming at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, where she finished tied for 12th. But Highland Meadows Golf Club is a course that Masson tends to play exceptionally well – she finished T5 in both 2019 and 2021 – and it’s that fact coupled with her stellar putting performance this week that could make all the difference as the German looks to capture her first win in six years on the same day that she captured her maiden LPGA Tour title.
“You want to get the first win, and once you get that, I think the second one is maybe even harder,” said Masson who was last victorious at the 2016 Manulife LPGA Classic. “But at the same time, I'm really pretty chill about everything. Yes, I want to win. That's what I work for. That's what I work towards. But I'm not going to think about that much tomorrow. It's just about going through the motions, doing the same things, and obviously, I like those numbers so I'm going to take that and try it run with it tomorrow.”
With 18 holes left to play, Lucy Li is looking to add another accolade to her young resume at the Dana Open presented by Marathon. Li battled on a hot and humid day in Sylvania to maintain her lead from Friday, following her second-round 64 with a Saturday 67 to sit one stroke ahead of the pack at -14. Her 199 is her first 36-hole score on Tour below 200, besting her previous record that was set at the 2022 Honda LPGA Thailand where she finished T12.
The American, who has two professional wins on the Epson Tour in 2022, said she battled a few nerves on the first tee, getting off to a rocky start with bogeys on Nos. 1 and 7. Instead of faltering, Li rebounded with a birdie on No. 8 and continued to pick up speed after the turn.
“Birdieing 10, that was a good one. And then I think the birdie on 14, the par 3, was huge because I just missed a short putt the hole before, and so I was a little bit upset about that. It was nice to get one back there. A little bit of a longer putt. Kind of made up for the putt before,” said Li. “So it was just good to keep the momentum going.”
Li would go on to birdie two of her last three holes, Nos. 16 and 17, before stepping off the final green at Highland Meadows Golf Club with the clubhouse lead. Although she’s already secured her LPGA Tour card for 2023 through the Epson Tour top 10, Li could accept immediate Membership with a win on Sunday and become the season’s ninth Rolex First-Time Winner. The 19-year-old would also be the second winner under the age of 20 this season, following 2022 rookie Atthaya Thitikul in her victory at the JTBC Classic presented by Barbasol, and is currently sitting in a place she never expected to be in so soon in her professional golf career.
“It's been a kind of a whirlwind couple of months. Definitely didn't expected to be here a couple months ago, so I'm just really grateful to be here and have this opportunity,” said Li. “Whatever happens tomorrow will happen.”
Lurking behind Li are LPGA Tour winners Caroline Masson and Lexi Thompson in a tie for second at -13 after both players carded 6-under 65s. Masson went bogey-free for the second straight day, making three birdies on her first nine holes and three coming in on 16, 17 and 18. A victory on Sunday would be six years to the day since she last won on Tour at the 2016 Manulife Classic.
Thompson’s round was highlighted by an eagle on No. 9 and three birdies at 15, 16 and 17 that got her into Sunday’s final group alongside the youngster Li, who bested Thompson’s record at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open presented by ProMedica by becoming the youngest qualifier in the major championship’s history.
“I played with her a little bit. Not so much out here, but I think everybody knows how amazing of a player she is. I think she's broken every record,” said Thompson. “Just speaks wonders to the amount of work that she's put into her game, just the amount of talent she has. So I'm really looking forward to playing with her tomorrow, and hopefully just be a lot of birdies to be made.”
Seven players sit in a tie for fourth at -11, including defending champion Nasa Hataoka and 2019 Dana Open winner Sei Young Kim, who had a near albatross that led to an easy eagle putt on No. 18. “The tee shot little pulled it and it was miss it left bunker so I had good luck. And then from the second shot to the pin is 200 meters, and then if I hit over the pin it's no chance to make the birdie, so I had to pitch front edge. I hit solid and pitch front edge and it was almost make it,” said Kim. “I'm very happy to do that. I never had an albatross in my life, so it was close.”
Lydia Ko is also among that star-studded group. First off No. 10 in the morning wave, Ko’s 64 put her in prime position just three shots back of Li to potentially earn the 18th victory of her LPGA Tour career. “Every day is a new day. You never know what's going to happen,” said Ko. “I just got to focus on my game and have fun out there and see what happens after the end of tomorrow.”
WITH A WIN
Lucy Li could accept immediate LPGA Tour Membership; her 500 CME Points and earnings from the Dana Open would then become official, and she would become a 2022 Tour rookie
Li would become the season’s ninth Rolex First Time Winner, and the fifth consecutive, dating back to Ayaka Furue at the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open
- It would tie for third-highest First-Time winners in a season, and be only the fifth time in the Tour’s history where there were at least nine different First-Time Winners in one year
- A fifth-consecutive Rolex First-Time Winner would be a new record on the LPGA Tour; the current record is four, achieved four times including this season
Lexi Thompson would earn her first victory since the 2019 ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer and the 12th of her career
Thompson would become the 47th player in the Tour’s history with at least 12 wins in her career; she would also slide into a tie for 45th on the All-Time Wins List with Ariya Jutanugarn and Sei Young Kim
Thompson or Li would be the seventh different American to win in 2022, and first since Jennifer Kupcho and Lizette Salas at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational
Caroline Masson would earn her second Tour victory and first since the 2016 Manulife LPGA Classic, which she won on September 4, 2016 (over 2,190 days ago)
Masson would be the first player from Germany to win twice in Tour history; only three other German players have one victory: Tina Fischer (2001), Sandra Gal (2011) and Sophia Popov (2020), the last German winner on Tour
LEXI THOMPSON TIED FOR SECOND AHEAD OF SUNDAY IN SYLVANIA
It was another round in the 60s for Lexi Thompson on Moving Day at the Dana Open presented by Marathon, one that has propelled her into a tie for second with 18 holes to go. The 11-time LPGA Tour winner fired a sporty 6-under 65 on Saturday at Highland Meadows Golf Club, a round that was highlighted by an eagle on the par-4 ninth and five birdies including three in a row on holes 15, 16, and 17. Tied with Germany’s Caroline Masson at -13, Thompson sits one back of two-time Epson Tour winner Lucy Li who holds the 54-hole lead at -14 and is looking to capture her first win since the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer in 2019.
“No. 9, they moved it up quite a bit to make it drivable for us. I think it was actually only my second drive of the first nine, and I hit it very good. Ended up rolling about 20 feet just short of the hole and made it and walked off with a 2. On my stat card, I'm like, driver, green, in the hole. I'm like that's weird, on a par-4,” said Thompson of her fourth eagle of the season. “I'm sure there will be a few more tucked pins, but at the same time, a few accessible ones, so be able to go low and make those birdies out there. So just hit the fairways and give myself those birdie opportunities. Hopefully a good amount drop. All I can do is focus on my game and emotions and see where that takes me.”
It’s the sixth time this season Thompson has been within five of the lead entering the final round, and in her seven previous Dana Open starts, she’s had three top-five finishes – two runner-up results in 2017 and 2019 and a tie for third in 2013. She’s been striking it well so far this week and continued that in round three, hitting 12 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens, and her performance with the flatstick has also been solid with Thompson needing less than 30 putts per round over the last three days. But while everything seems to be leaning in her favor, veteran Thompson knows better than to get ahead of herself and will just be taking Sunday as it comes, no matter the final result.
“I go into every tournament wanting to win,” said Thompson. “It has not worked out the way I want it to in a few events, but that's golf. I think you never lose; you're always learning. That's what I've taken from those experiences. There is always something to build on and learn from those days. It's golf. It's a crazy game. It can be with you one day and not the next. So just (need to) hit the fairways and give myself those birdie opportunities. Hopefully a good amount drop. All I can do is focus on my game and emotions and see where that takes me.”
CAROLINE MASSON WITH BACK-TO-BACK BOGEY-FREE ROUNDS AT DANA OPEN PRESENTED BY MARATHON
Germany’s Caroline Masson muscled her way into a tie for second with major champion Lexi Thompson after carding a second-consecutive bogey-free round on Moving Day at the Dana Open presented by Marathon. The 33-year-old fired a 6-under 65 on Saturday, making birdies on Nos. 5, 6, and 8 on the front nine and then recorded three more in her last three holes. The score is her lowest of the 2022 season and her 54-hole total of 200 is now the second lowest of her LPGA Tour career. This is the first time this season that Masson has been within five of the lead entering the final round and she’s been impressed with her play so far this week in Sylvania, giving a lot of credit to her ability to remain patient on the greens.
“Really nice to finish with three birdies. I think I did the same thing as yesterday: stayed patient, waiting for the putts to drop. I hit a really good second shot into 16 to probably six feet, so good chance there,” said Masson. “Both 17 and 18 now had really good tee shots; hit the green in two both times, so actually had eagle putts. You're hoping for one of them maybe to fall in but hit two good putts, and easy birdies are always nice.”
It hasn’t been Masson’s best year on the LPGA Tour. She’s missed eight cuts in 18 starts with her best stroke-play result coming at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, where she finished tied for 12th. But Highland Meadows Golf Club is a course that Masson tends to play exceptionally well – she finished T5 in both 2019 and 2021 – and it’s that fact coupled with her stellar putting performance this week that could make all the difference as the German looks to capture her first win in six years on the same day that she captured her maiden LPGA Tour title.
“You want to get the first win, and once you get that, I think the second one is maybe even harder,” said Masson who was last victorious at the 2016 Manulife LPGA Classic. “But at the same time, I'm really pretty chill about everything. Yes, I want to win. That's what I work for. That's what I work towards. But I'm not going to think about that much tomorrow. It's just about going through the motions, doing the same things, and obviously, I like those numbers so I'm going to take that and try it run with it tomorrow.”
Reports: College Football Playoff board approves expanded format with 12 teams
The College Football Playoff will move to 12 teams after the Board of Managers approved expansion by an unanimous vote on Friday, according to multiple reports.
The expanded format will reportedly include the six highest ranked conference champions and the rest of the field will be made up of at-large selections, after the vote by the board, which consists of presidents from each of the 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame.
The expansion could happen as early as the end of the 2024 season, but the 12-year contract the playoffs have with ESPN doesn't expire until after the 2025 season.
From NFL plays to college sports scores, all the top sports news you need to know every day.
The current four-team format started in 2014 after decades of discontent between coaches and fans about how the national champion is decided in football. Initially determined by media and coaches poll, the Bowl Championship Series was created in 1998 to match the top two teams in one game after the regular season. That system lasted through the 2013 season before the current College Football Playoff system was used.
The College Football Playoff logo is shown on the field at AT&T Stadium before an NCAA college football game.© Roger Steinman, APAlabama has won the most CFP championships with three, followed by Clemson with two. Ohio State, LSU and defending champion Georgia have one title each.
The expanded format will reportedly include the six highest ranked conference champions and the rest of the field will be made up of at-large selections, after the vote by the board, which consists of presidents from each of the 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame.
The expansion could happen as early as the end of the 2024 season, but the 12-year contract the playoffs have with ESPN doesn't expire until after the 2025 season.
From NFL plays to college sports scores, all the top sports news you need to know every day.
The current four-team format started in 2014 after decades of discontent between coaches and fans about how the national champion is decided in football. Initially determined by media and coaches poll, the Bowl Championship Series was created in 1998 to match the top two teams in one game after the regular season. That system lasted through the 2013 season before the current College Football Playoff system was used.
The College Football Playoff logo is shown on the field at AT&T Stadium before an NCAA college football game.© Roger Steinman, APAlabama has won the most CFP championships with three, followed by Clemson with two. Ohio State, LSU and defending champion Georgia have one title each.
INTERVIEW: Glover Quin shares thoughts on coachless practices, Jeff Okudah
Jeremy Reisman - 8h ago
Former Detroit Lions safety Glover Quin has always been one to speak his mind. Back during his playing days with the Lions, he would make himself available to the media for the entire 45-minute locker room session every Wednesday during the week and would always give honest answers.
INTERVIEW: Glover Quin shares thoughts on coachless practices, Jeff OkudahOn this Wednesday evening, Quin joined our podcast to do just that: offer his honest opinions on several topics surrounding the Detroit Lions.
Quin, who is now the co-host of his own Lions podcast called “Bleav in Lions,” gave a particularly interesting answer when we asked him about the value of a coachless practice, as the Lions ran on Monday. Quin admitted he’s never heard or seen anything like that, but he understands what the Dan Campbell was trying to accomplish.
Detroit Lions Hold Practice Without Coaches
“He kinda wants to see, are you guys going to take it easy on yourselves or are you going to say, ‘We gotta go out here and put some work in. This ain’t paying around. Coach letting us run practice. Are just going to lolligag and have fun or whatever it is we doing?’” Quin said. “No, Coach is trying to see are you guys going to go out there and prepare like veterans, like mature athletes that understand the task at hand in this season that we’re approaching.”
Quin also provided some insight into the development of Tracy Walker’s game—a player he played alongside of for one season in Detroit.
“Can he make plays? Yes,” Quin said. “I want to see him make more plays. I want to see him not be okay with just making a tackle. Try to get the ball out.”
Former Detroit Lions safety Glover Quin has always been one to speak his mind. Back during his playing days with the Lions, he would make himself available to the media for the entire 45-minute locker room session every Wednesday during the week and would always give honest answers.
INTERVIEW: Glover Quin shares thoughts on coachless practices, Jeff OkudahOn this Wednesday evening, Quin joined our podcast to do just that: offer his honest opinions on several topics surrounding the Detroit Lions.
Quin, who is now the co-host of his own Lions podcast called “Bleav in Lions,” gave a particularly interesting answer when we asked him about the value of a coachless practice, as the Lions ran on Monday. Quin admitted he’s never heard or seen anything like that, but he understands what the Dan Campbell was trying to accomplish.
Detroit Lions Hold Practice Without Coaches
“He kinda wants to see, are you guys going to take it easy on yourselves or are you going to say, ‘We gotta go out here and put some work in. This ain’t paying around. Coach letting us run practice. Are just going to lolligag and have fun or whatever it is we doing?’” Quin said. “No, Coach is trying to see are you guys going to go out there and prepare like veterans, like mature athletes that understand the task at hand in this season that we’re approaching.”
Quin also provided some insight into the development of Tracy Walker’s game—a player he played alongside of for one season in Detroit.
“Can he make plays? Yes,” Quin said. “I want to see him make more plays. I want to see him not be okay with just making a tackle. Try to get the ball out.”
By Brandon Day- Courtesy of SB Nation-Well the time has finally come. After seven years, Executive Vice-President of Baseball Operations and General Manager, Al Avila, has been fired by the Detroit Tigers. We had an inkling this was coming, but it’s still surprising to see that Team President Chris Ilitch has decided to make the move. The Tigers announced the move themselves on Wednesday afternoon.
© Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press / USA TODAY NETWORKThe Detroit Tigers fire general manager Al AvilaAvila was promoted to the role in August of 2015, after the firing of long-time GM Dave Dombrowski by previous owner Mike Ilitch. Starting with his first full season in 2016, the Tigers have a record of 404-573 under Avila heading into Wednesday night’s matchup against Cleveland.
Avila’s hiring was supposed to initiate a new era in Tigers baseball. The idea was to construct a modern organization largely from scratch after the final years of big payrolls left the Tigers’ minor league system in terrible shape both in terms of players, personnel, and facilities. At the same time, Avila was to oversee the 2016 re-tooling in a final attempt to turn out another winner for Mike Ilitch. On every front things went very poorly.
A tacit admission of the fact came last summer, when Avila fired his long-time head of player development head, Dave Littlefield, beginning a major overhaul in coaches and decision-makers in the player development system. At the time, those major changes to the front office engaged speculation that Avila had bought himself a few more years to turn things around after pretty poor progress to that point. Unfortunately for Avila, his attempts to build a team with the potential to at least begin competing for a playoff spot fell badly flat this year, and the prospect capital built up through years of losing hasn’t produced the stockpile of high end young talent that was hoped as of yet.
Meanwhile, the fanbase finally reached the limits of its patience this season. Anger and frustration has been the theme of the 2022 season, and we can only hope now that brighter days are ahead.
There is no word on Avila’s replacement. A press conferrence is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. EDT with Ilitch to discuss the firing and the plan to move forward in finding the next general manager of the Detroit Tigers.
© Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press / USA TODAY NETWORKThe Detroit Tigers fire general manager Al AvilaAvila was promoted to the role in August of 2015, after the firing of long-time GM Dave Dombrowski by previous owner Mike Ilitch. Starting with his first full season in 2016, the Tigers have a record of 404-573 under Avila heading into Wednesday night’s matchup against Cleveland.
Avila’s hiring was supposed to initiate a new era in Tigers baseball. The idea was to construct a modern organization largely from scratch after the final years of big payrolls left the Tigers’ minor league system in terrible shape both in terms of players, personnel, and facilities. At the same time, Avila was to oversee the 2016 re-tooling in a final attempt to turn out another winner for Mike Ilitch. On every front things went very poorly.
A tacit admission of the fact came last summer, when Avila fired his long-time head of player development head, Dave Littlefield, beginning a major overhaul in coaches and decision-makers in the player development system. At the time, those major changes to the front office engaged speculation that Avila had bought himself a few more years to turn things around after pretty poor progress to that point. Unfortunately for Avila, his attempts to build a team with the potential to at least begin competing for a playoff spot fell badly flat this year, and the prospect capital built up through years of losing hasn’t produced the stockpile of high end young talent that was hoped as of yet.
Meanwhile, the fanbase finally reached the limits of its patience this season. Anger and frustration has been the theme of the 2022 season, and we can only hope now that brighter days are ahead.
There is no word on Avila’s replacement. A press conferrence is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. EDT with Ilitch to discuss the firing and the plan to move forward in finding the next general manager of the Detroit Tigers.
Erik Jones Foundation gives the first of many checks for cancer research in honor of his late father
Lou Whitaker's No. 1 etched into Tigers history: 'One of the greatest moments in my life'
When Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has a chance to teach a baseball history lesson, he takes it.
And so, Friday afternoon, he sat in the clubhouse with his pitchers — Tyler Alexander, Jason Foley, Tarik Skubal and Will Vest — talking about the weekend's upcoming ceremony.
He realized they knew Lou Whitaker, but didn't know Lou Whitaker.
So he gave them an assignment: Grab your phones, he instructed, pull up Alan Trammell on one and Whitaker on the other.
"The reason I did it is because we hold Alan Trammell in such reverence because he’s active (in the organization), he’s here with us, he instructs us, I mean there’s always a smile on our face when he comes around," Hinch said. "Lou has not been around, but he was just Alan Trammell at a different position.
"I mean if you look at his offensive profile, the five-time All-Star, the Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year (in 1978) — just to open the eyes of our players on what Lou meant to this franchise."
'THAT DAY WILL COME':As Detroit Tigers hail Lou Whitaker, he's ready for Hall of Fame nod
CELEBRATING GREATNESS:Reliving Lou Whitaker's greatest games with the Detroit Tigers before number retirement
The thousands of fans who lined the streets prior to Comerica Park's gates opening Saturday needed no such history lesson.
Many have personal memories of Whitaker's 19 seasons wearing the Old English "D." The sellout crowd of 40,101 (the second-largest crowd of the season) added another memory Saturday, prior to the Tigers' game against the Tampa Bay Rays — the black tarp on the wall above the bullpen in left-center coming down to reveal Whitaker's name and No. 1 permanently inscribed at Comerica Park.
No. 1 will never be worn by a Tiger again.
"This will be one of the greatest moments in my life," Whitaker said on the stage erected in the Comerica infied. "Just knowing that my number will be retired, and I have a chance to see my name on the wall with those legends from Tigers history."
It was at times hard to hear master of ceremonies Dan Dickerson, Trammell or any of the other teammates of Whitaker who shared their sentiments via a video shown on the board Saturday evening as more than 30,000 fans serenaded the field with "Looooouuuuuuuu."
But the message was clear, with Trammell — whose number was retired in 2018 soon after his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame — setting the tone.
"Yes," Trammell said when he took the mic. "Why yes? Because for four years, I've been uncomfortable. I have been extremely honored and grateful to have my No. 3 retired.
And so, Friday afternoon, he sat in the clubhouse with his pitchers — Tyler Alexander, Jason Foley, Tarik Skubal and Will Vest — talking about the weekend's upcoming ceremony.
He realized they knew Lou Whitaker, but didn't know Lou Whitaker.
So he gave them an assignment: Grab your phones, he instructed, pull up Alan Trammell on one and Whitaker on the other.
"The reason I did it is because we hold Alan Trammell in such reverence because he’s active (in the organization), he’s here with us, he instructs us, I mean there’s always a smile on our face when he comes around," Hinch said. "Lou has not been around, but he was just Alan Trammell at a different position.
"I mean if you look at his offensive profile, the five-time All-Star, the Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year (in 1978) — just to open the eyes of our players on what Lou meant to this franchise."
'THAT DAY WILL COME':As Detroit Tigers hail Lou Whitaker, he's ready for Hall of Fame nod
CELEBRATING GREATNESS:Reliving Lou Whitaker's greatest games with the Detroit Tigers before number retirement
The thousands of fans who lined the streets prior to Comerica Park's gates opening Saturday needed no such history lesson.
Many have personal memories of Whitaker's 19 seasons wearing the Old English "D." The sellout crowd of 40,101 (the second-largest crowd of the season) added another memory Saturday, prior to the Tigers' game against the Tampa Bay Rays — the black tarp on the wall above the bullpen in left-center coming down to reveal Whitaker's name and No. 1 permanently inscribed at Comerica Park.
No. 1 will never be worn by a Tiger again.
"This will be one of the greatest moments in my life," Whitaker said on the stage erected in the Comerica infied. "Just knowing that my number will be retired, and I have a chance to see my name on the wall with those legends from Tigers history."
It was at times hard to hear master of ceremonies Dan Dickerson, Trammell or any of the other teammates of Whitaker who shared their sentiments via a video shown on the board Saturday evening as more than 30,000 fans serenaded the field with "Looooouuuuuuuu."
But the message was clear, with Trammell — whose number was retired in 2018 soon after his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame — setting the tone.
"Yes," Trammell said when he took the mic. "Why yes? Because for four years, I've been uncomfortable. I have been extremely honored and grateful to have my No. 3 retired.
Lions HC Dan Campbell explains why he calls WR Josh Reynolds 'The Praying Mantis'
The Detroit Lions head coach Campbell went viral at training camp over the weekend when he revealed the funny nickname that he has for wide receiver Josh Reynolds — ‘The Praying Mantis.’
“He’s slippery, man,” said Campbell of Reynolds, per Lions writer Dave Birkett. “I call him ‘The Praying Mantis.’ He’s the spider of death. There’s something about him. Fricking serpent.”
Reynolds, who caught 19 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns in seven games for Detroit after being acquired in the middle of last season, definitely possesses some mantis-like qualities. He is flexible, sneaks past defenders seemingly undetected and is surprisingly deadly for his size.
“He’s slippery, man,” said Campbell of Reynolds, per Lions writer Dave Birkett. “I call him ‘The Praying Mantis.’ He’s the spider of death. There’s something about him. Fricking serpent.”
Reynolds, who caught 19 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns in seven games for Detroit after being acquired in the middle of last season, definitely possesses some mantis-like qualities. He is flexible, sneaks past defenders seemingly undetected and is surprisingly deadly for his size.
Big Ten Announces Football Preseason Honors
Nine returning All-Big Ten selections highlight this year’s list
Nine returning All-Big Ten selections highlight this year’s list
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced its 2022 football preseason honors on Monday ahead of the start of Big Ten Football Media Days at Lucas Oil Stadium. A media panel selected the 10-member preseason list, with five representatives each from the East and West Divisions. Ohio State placed a trio of honorees on the East Division list highlighted by the unanimous selection of quarterback C.J. Stroud, a finalist for the Heisman Trophy last season. Stroud was joined on this year’s preseason East Division squad by a pair of Buckeye offensive standouts in running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as well as Michigan running back Blake Corum and Michigan State wide receiver Jayden Reed. Four different schools placed students on the West Division preseason list, led by two representatives from Wisconsin in running back Braelon Allen and linebacker Nick Herbig. They were joined on the list by Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell, Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski and Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell. Last season, Stroud was named the Big Ten Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year, Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year and Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year. He was also a first-team All-Big Ten selection alongside Campbell and Skoronski, joining second-team selections Henderson, O’Connell and Allen, as well as third-team honorees Corum, Reed and Smith-Njigba. Seven of this year’s Big Ten preseason honorees — Campbell, Reed, Skoronski, Smith-Njigba, Stroud, O’Connell and Herbig — are scheduled to attend Big Ten Media Days this week in Indianapolis. The full list of Big Ten football preseason honorees is as follows: EAST
Blake Corum, RB, MICH
Jayden Reed, WR, MSU
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, OSU
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, OSU
C.J. STROUD, QB, OSU WEST
Jack Campbell, LB, IOWA
Peter Skoronski, OT, NU
Aidan O’Connell, QB, PUR
Braelon Allen, RB, WIS
Nick Herbig, OLB, WIS Unanimous selection in ALL CAPS
Nightengale's Notebook: MLB's first half superlatives, from MVPs to worst free agent signings
Nightengale's Notebook: MLB's first half superlatives, from MVPs to worst free agent signings
Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY
Sun, July 17, 2022 at 3:22 PMLOS ANGELES – Come on, you didn’t know the Baltimore Orioles would actually be the one of the best teams in baseball for the past month and in contention for a playoff berth?
You didn’t realize that the New York Yankees and Houston Astros would have their divisions sewn up by the All-Star break?
You didn’t have Clay Holmes as the Yankees’ All-Star closer or Nestor Cortes as an All-Star starter?
Welcome to the wacky first half of the 2022 season, a year that started late, saw three managers fired and another half-dozen on the hot-seat.
Here we are with our first-half award winners, award clunkers, winners, losers and those caught stuck in neutral.
Best team in baseballAnthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton celebrate a home run.New York Yankees: Take a bow GM Brian Cashman, remaking the team during the winter, emphasizing pitching and athleticism, and sitting with one of the best records in the first half in franchise history.
Runner-up: Houston Astros – Carlos Correa walks away. Lance McCullers hasn’t thrown a pitch. But, oh, they still have Dusty Baker working his magic.
Worst team in baseball
Oakland Athletics: If you’re into gambling, the bet of the year was taking the under on the A’s winning 77 games this year. What, the oddsmakers weren’t paying attention knowing that once they let manager Bob Melvin walk away, they were planning to gut the roster and tear down the franchise to its foundation. Oh, and guess what, they’re going to get worse after they dump ace Frankie Montas, center fielder Ramon Laureano and more. It will be a miraculous finish if they lose only 100 games.
Runner-up: Washington Nationals – The 2019 World Series flag looks beautiful at Nationals Park, but who would have ever envisioned that the Orioles have a better future than the Nationals? They also are about to get even worse after the trade deadline with the departures of sluggers Josh Bell and Nelson Cruz.
Most surprising team: Baltimore Orioles: Funny what a 10-game winning streak, their longest since 1999, can do for a team’s image. The question for the Orioles over the years hasn’t been whether they would lose 100 games, but if they break the all-time record. They lost 110 games last year, were 180 games under .500 the previous three seasons, and opened the year with a $45 million payroll. These days, despite playing in baseball’s toughest division, they are a .500 team, with a 21-9 record since June 11, second-best in baseball.
The Orioles still plan to sell off some of pieces at the trade deadline, refusing to be sucked in by the hype, but with much more of a balanced scheduled a year from now, they could be an honest-to-goodness contender.
Runner-up: Minnesota Twins – A year ago, they were an after-thought, losing 87 games. Even when they picked up Carlos Correa in spring training, he was considered prime trade bait at the deadline. Well, here they are, with a bullpen that regularly melts down, a starting rotation where there are no stars, and leading the AL Central.
Most disappointing teamTony La Russa was hired prior to the 2021 season.Chicago White Sox: Really, it’s not even close, despite their recent winning streak. This team has been hit by injuries, but still, they are a mess, even playing in an awful division. They can’t play defense. They can’t run the bases. Their offense has stunk until lately. And their pitching is wildly erratic. If this team doesn’t turn it around and make the postseason, the front office is going to sit down with Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa this winter and try to convince him the time has come to walk away into a front-office role.
Runner-up: Los Angeles Angels – This was supposed to be the year they at least stayed in contention for a playoff berth with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Who thought they’d lose 36 of their last 48 games and be eliminated by July, firing manager Joe Maddon and nothing changing, sitting with a 39-52 record entering Saturday.
American League MVPAaron Judge is a free agent after the 2022 season.Aaron Judge, Yankees: When you’re the best player on the best team in baseball and are having the best year of your career, how can it go to anyone else? Remember, this is a Most VALUABLE Player award, not a best player award, eliminating Shohei Ohtani. If it was simply about being the best player, Barry Bonds would have won about years in a row. Judge deserves the award for having so much confidence and faith in himself that he casually dismissed a seven-year, $213.5 million offer this spring, saying he’ll talk again in the offseason, and see who’s right.
Runner-up: Yordan Alvarez, Astros – The guy signed a $115 million extension in his first year of salary arbitration and it already looks like a steal two months in Alvarez is that talented – hitting .306 with 26 homers, 60 RBI, and a league-leading.653 slugging percentage and 1.058 OPS – and with a strong second half, could steal the award from Judge.
National League MVPPaul Goldschmidt is an All-Star for the first time since 2018.Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals: OK, there’s hardly anyone still alive who actually met Lou Gehrig, but Goldschmidt may be the second coming of the Iron Horse. He has played more games than anyone in baseball since joining the Cardinals, and has been the NL’s best overall hitter, leading the league in batting average (.329), on-base percentage (.414) and OPS (.998). How rare is the feat? No Cardinals player has ever accomplished it. He also remains an elite defensive first baseman and baserunner.
Runner-up: Manny Machado, Padres – The Padres would be dead and buried without Machado’s fabulous first half (.307, 15 homers, 51 RBI, .906 OPS) and Gold Glove defense. He has become their team leader, and is the primary reason they’ve hung around in the NL West race without Fernando Tatis Jr. stepping onto the field.
Best free agent signingMax Scherzer, Mets: The guy has been worth every penny of his $43 million annual salary. He missed time due to injury but has come back strong and is a force in the clubhouse, commanding respect.
Runner-up: Matt Carpenter, Yankees – Nobody wanted him all winter. He was in Triple-A for the Rangers until mid-May. He asked for his release, the Yankees were the only team that called, and he now has hit more home runs (12) for the Yankees in 72 at-bats than he did the entire past two years for the St. Louis Cardinals. Pretty nice getting a guy off the scrap heap averaging a homer every six at-bats.
Worst free agent signingBaez spent 2021 with the Cubs and Mets before signing with Detroit.Javy Baez, Tigers: Sure, the Tigers knew he was a free swinger, but maybe not to this extent, chasing 47.5% of pitches outside the strike zone. He is hitting just .218 with a .256 on-base percentage and .384 slugging percentage. The guy is even struggling in the field, with a minus-3 in defensive runs saved. The Tigers have five more years of Baez to see him get right.
Runner-up: Kris Bryant, Rockies – You don’t pay a fella $182 million to hit four home runs with 11 RBI playing at Coors Field. Bryant has been hurt, missing nearly two months with a bad back and entering the weekend having played just 30 games. He needs a solid second half for Rockies fans to believe this was the right move.
AL Cy YoungShane McClanahan, Rays: He is a blast to watch, striking out a league-high 147 batters with twice as many strikeouts as hits (69) allowed. McClanahan (10-3, 1.71 ERA) is most dominant pitcher in the league, giving up more than two earned runs in just two of his 18 starts, and leading the league in ERA, WHIP (0.795), opponent’s batting average (.176) and strikeout percentage (35.7 percent). He could join Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez as the only pitchers in history to strike out at least 200 batters, give up half as many hits, and have a sub-2.00 ERA.
Runner-up: Justin Verlander, Astros – The guy is 39 years old, coming back from Tommy John surgery, and is 11-3 with a 2.00 ERA. He’s one of the game’s greatest pitchers of his era, with a plaque awaiting him at Cooperstown.
NL Cy YoungSandy Alcantara is an All-Star for the second time in his career.Sandy Alcantara, Marlins: Who does he think he is, Bob Gibson? You talk about old-school. Alcantara (9-4, 1.76 ERA) has pitched at least eight innings in nine of his starts this year – six more than any other pitcher in baseball – and has gone a full nine innings three times. He has made 13 consecutive starts pitching at least seven innings, allowing two or fewer runs in 12 of the starts. It’s the longest stretch by any pitcher since 2014. He has pitched an MLB-leading 138⅓ innings, 30 more than anyone else.
Runner-up: Tony Gonsolin, Dodgers – When you’re 11-0 with a 2.02 ERA, it doesn’t matter how many innings you’re pitching. And don’t let anyone tell you differently. Wins means everything to starting pitchers.
AL Rookie of the YearJulio Rodriguez, Mariners: He may be the best outfielder to come out of Seattle since a fella by the name of Ken Griffey Jr. He can do anything and everything. He had a miserable April getting acclimated, hitting .206 without a home run, and has since hit 16 homers, with 44 of his 50 RBI, and has stolen 12 of his MLB-leading 21 steals since May 1.
He became the fastest player in big-league history to reach 15 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases, and the first rookie with that many homers and stolen bases before the All-Star break since Devon White of the Angels in 1987.
He could join Mike Trout as the only players in baseball history to hit 30 homers and steal 40 bases in a season at the age of 21 or younger. He is the reason for the Mariners’ resurgence and could certainly wind up in AL MVP discussions.
Runner-up: Jeremy Pena, Astros: Carlos Correa may be gone, and certainly he is a force in the middle of any lineup, but man, has Pena ever stepped in nicely with his magnificent defense.
NL Rookie of the YearMichael Harris' promotion coincided with Atlanta catching fire.Michael Harris, Atlanta: Harris, 21, stepped into Atlanta’s lineup on May 28, without having played a single game at Class AAA, and they have been winning virtually every day since. He has been phenomenal defensively, and his offense has surprised Atlanta executives, and even himself, hitting .277 with eight homers, 26 RBI and an .804 OPS.
Runner-up: Spencer Strider, Atlanta – He made his first start on May 30 in an experiment to see if he could cut it out of the bullpen. He proved he’s not only ready, but is flourishing with a 3-1, 2.74 ERA as a starter, striking out 73 batters in 46 innings, and yielding a .180 batting average and measly .536 OPS.
AL Manager of the YearBrandon Hyde, Orioles: Remember when no one could tell whether Hyde was a good manager or a poor one considering he didn’t have any players? Well, despite having the least amount of talent of any team in the AL East, if not the entire American League, no one has gotten more out of his players. He is the leader of the league’s biggest surprise.
Runner-up: Dusty Baker, Astros – Baker, 72, owns his own vineyard he’s getting better with age, too. The Astros were expected to take a step backwards this year and perhaps even relinquish their AL West crown. Instead, they’re running away from the pack.
NL Manager of the YearMets manager Buck Showalter talks with shortstop Francisco Lindor.Buck Showalter, Mets: The only real question is why he remained on the sidelines for three years while everyone snubbed him looking for managers. He has always been one of the game’s best managers and now he’s excelling on the biggest stage in the game. It’s hard to believe that no Mets manager has ever won the NL award. That will end this year.
Runner-up: Bob Melvin, Padres – The Padres melted down when they were in contention last summer. This time around, there’s so much confidence and trust in Melvin that they believe they’re as good as any team in baseball. He’s one the game’s most underrated managers in the last two decades.
Managers on the hot seatThere have been three managers already fired in the first half of the season.
The last time we’ve seen such a turnover before the All-Star Game was back in 2015:
So who’s next on the chopping block in 2022?
While it’s hard to see anyone getting fired until the offseason, there are six managers who may be gone before the December winter meetings.
Tony La Russa, White Sox
The White Sox certainly won’t fire him during the season, but may have no choice to re-assign him if they don’t reach the playoffs. The team is dysfunctional with lack of leadership, and although it’s hardly all La Russa’s fault, he hasn’t changed the culture.
Torey Lovullo, Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks are still rebuilding, and like Charlie Montoyo, Lovullo is loved in the organization but too many fundamental mistakes continue to be made, with ownership already rejecting the front office’s request for an extension.
Mike Matheny, Royals
The Royals expected to make great strides this year and at least flirt with mediocrity. They’ve instead gone backwards and have the second-worst record in the American League.
Don Mattingly, Marlins
Mattingly took a pay cut just to come back to the Marlins. They need to make the playoffs, or at least come awfully close, to assure his job security for another year.
Scott Servais, Mariners
Servais and GM Jerry Dipoto are joined at the hip since arriving to Seattle seven years ago, but if the Mariners miss the playoffs for the 21st consecutive year after their recent hot streak, someone may have to pay the price.
Chris Woodward, Rangers
You don’t spend a half-billion in free agency and expect to be doormats. Woodward’s job with the Rangers may hinge on just how close they come to the playoffs without making it.
Around the basepaths– The Washington Nationals may be telling teams that All-Star outfielder Juan Soto is now available after he rejected their 15-year, $440 million contract offer, but it still appears unlikely that he’ll be moved by the Aug. 2 trade deadline.
Nats officials say they will have to be overwhelmed by an offer to trade him in the next three weeks knowing he’s still under control through the 2024 season.
Teams realize that if he’s not going to sign a $440 million deal with his homegrown team, he’s not about to turn around and immediately sign with them.
Still, he easily becomes the hottest name on the trade market, and it will be fascinating just who will make serious offers.
– The Angels have gone from potential buyers to sellers, and with the thin market for starting pitchers, they could get a prized prospect for Noah Syndergaard, even with his $21 million salary.
– Just how much will the Reds gets for ace Luis Castillo, who clearly is the No. 1 trade chip in baseball? yielding a 1.00 ERA in his last four starts with a 1.38 ERA against the powerful AL East.
Executives predict it will cost a team at least two of its top five prospects, and perhaps three of their top 10.
Castillo has yielded a 1.00 ERA in his last four starts and isn't a free agent until after the 2023 season.
The Yankees would love to have him as their No. 2 starter behind Gerrit Cole. The Yankees’ starting rotation had the lowest ERA in the major leagues on June 5, but since has a 4.42 ERA, ranking just 18th.
This is a rotation with Luis Severino, who’s on the IL with a lat strain, and hasn’t pitched a full season since 2018.
Nestor Cortes is just shy of his career high in inninga.
Jameson Taillon, who was yielding a.353 slugging percentage on June 5, since has a major-league worst .608.
The Reds, badly in need of young position players, will have one of the top 10 farm systems after trading Castillo.
Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY
Sun, July 17, 2022 at 3:22 PMLOS ANGELES – Come on, you didn’t know the Baltimore Orioles would actually be the one of the best teams in baseball for the past month and in contention for a playoff berth?
You didn’t realize that the New York Yankees and Houston Astros would have their divisions sewn up by the All-Star break?
You didn’t have Clay Holmes as the Yankees’ All-Star closer or Nestor Cortes as an All-Star starter?
Welcome to the wacky first half of the 2022 season, a year that started late, saw three managers fired and another half-dozen on the hot-seat.
Here we are with our first-half award winners, award clunkers, winners, losers and those caught stuck in neutral.
Best team in baseballAnthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton celebrate a home run.New York Yankees: Take a bow GM Brian Cashman, remaking the team during the winter, emphasizing pitching and athleticism, and sitting with one of the best records in the first half in franchise history.
Runner-up: Houston Astros – Carlos Correa walks away. Lance McCullers hasn’t thrown a pitch. But, oh, they still have Dusty Baker working his magic.
Worst team in baseball
Oakland Athletics: If you’re into gambling, the bet of the year was taking the under on the A’s winning 77 games this year. What, the oddsmakers weren’t paying attention knowing that once they let manager Bob Melvin walk away, they were planning to gut the roster and tear down the franchise to its foundation. Oh, and guess what, they’re going to get worse after they dump ace Frankie Montas, center fielder Ramon Laureano and more. It will be a miraculous finish if they lose only 100 games.
Runner-up: Washington Nationals – The 2019 World Series flag looks beautiful at Nationals Park, but who would have ever envisioned that the Orioles have a better future than the Nationals? They also are about to get even worse after the trade deadline with the departures of sluggers Josh Bell and Nelson Cruz.
Most surprising team: Baltimore Orioles: Funny what a 10-game winning streak, their longest since 1999, can do for a team’s image. The question for the Orioles over the years hasn’t been whether they would lose 100 games, but if they break the all-time record. They lost 110 games last year, were 180 games under .500 the previous three seasons, and opened the year with a $45 million payroll. These days, despite playing in baseball’s toughest division, they are a .500 team, with a 21-9 record since June 11, second-best in baseball.
The Orioles still plan to sell off some of pieces at the trade deadline, refusing to be sucked in by the hype, but with much more of a balanced scheduled a year from now, they could be an honest-to-goodness contender.
Runner-up: Minnesota Twins – A year ago, they were an after-thought, losing 87 games. Even when they picked up Carlos Correa in spring training, he was considered prime trade bait at the deadline. Well, here they are, with a bullpen that regularly melts down, a starting rotation where there are no stars, and leading the AL Central.
Most disappointing teamTony La Russa was hired prior to the 2021 season.Chicago White Sox: Really, it’s not even close, despite their recent winning streak. This team has been hit by injuries, but still, they are a mess, even playing in an awful division. They can’t play defense. They can’t run the bases. Their offense has stunk until lately. And their pitching is wildly erratic. If this team doesn’t turn it around and make the postseason, the front office is going to sit down with Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa this winter and try to convince him the time has come to walk away into a front-office role.
Runner-up: Los Angeles Angels – This was supposed to be the year they at least stayed in contention for a playoff berth with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Who thought they’d lose 36 of their last 48 games and be eliminated by July, firing manager Joe Maddon and nothing changing, sitting with a 39-52 record entering Saturday.
American League MVPAaron Judge is a free agent after the 2022 season.Aaron Judge, Yankees: When you’re the best player on the best team in baseball and are having the best year of your career, how can it go to anyone else? Remember, this is a Most VALUABLE Player award, not a best player award, eliminating Shohei Ohtani. If it was simply about being the best player, Barry Bonds would have won about years in a row. Judge deserves the award for having so much confidence and faith in himself that he casually dismissed a seven-year, $213.5 million offer this spring, saying he’ll talk again in the offseason, and see who’s right.
Runner-up: Yordan Alvarez, Astros – The guy signed a $115 million extension in his first year of salary arbitration and it already looks like a steal two months in Alvarez is that talented – hitting .306 with 26 homers, 60 RBI, and a league-leading.653 slugging percentage and 1.058 OPS – and with a strong second half, could steal the award from Judge.
National League MVPPaul Goldschmidt is an All-Star for the first time since 2018.Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals: OK, there’s hardly anyone still alive who actually met Lou Gehrig, but Goldschmidt may be the second coming of the Iron Horse. He has played more games than anyone in baseball since joining the Cardinals, and has been the NL’s best overall hitter, leading the league in batting average (.329), on-base percentage (.414) and OPS (.998). How rare is the feat? No Cardinals player has ever accomplished it. He also remains an elite defensive first baseman and baserunner.
Runner-up: Manny Machado, Padres – The Padres would be dead and buried without Machado’s fabulous first half (.307, 15 homers, 51 RBI, .906 OPS) and Gold Glove defense. He has become their team leader, and is the primary reason they’ve hung around in the NL West race without Fernando Tatis Jr. stepping onto the field.
Best free agent signingMax Scherzer, Mets: The guy has been worth every penny of his $43 million annual salary. He missed time due to injury but has come back strong and is a force in the clubhouse, commanding respect.
Runner-up: Matt Carpenter, Yankees – Nobody wanted him all winter. He was in Triple-A for the Rangers until mid-May. He asked for his release, the Yankees were the only team that called, and he now has hit more home runs (12) for the Yankees in 72 at-bats than he did the entire past two years for the St. Louis Cardinals. Pretty nice getting a guy off the scrap heap averaging a homer every six at-bats.
Worst free agent signingBaez spent 2021 with the Cubs and Mets before signing with Detroit.Javy Baez, Tigers: Sure, the Tigers knew he was a free swinger, but maybe not to this extent, chasing 47.5% of pitches outside the strike zone. He is hitting just .218 with a .256 on-base percentage and .384 slugging percentage. The guy is even struggling in the field, with a minus-3 in defensive runs saved. The Tigers have five more years of Baez to see him get right.
Runner-up: Kris Bryant, Rockies – You don’t pay a fella $182 million to hit four home runs with 11 RBI playing at Coors Field. Bryant has been hurt, missing nearly two months with a bad back and entering the weekend having played just 30 games. He needs a solid second half for Rockies fans to believe this was the right move.
AL Cy YoungShane McClanahan, Rays: He is a blast to watch, striking out a league-high 147 batters with twice as many strikeouts as hits (69) allowed. McClanahan (10-3, 1.71 ERA) is most dominant pitcher in the league, giving up more than two earned runs in just two of his 18 starts, and leading the league in ERA, WHIP (0.795), opponent’s batting average (.176) and strikeout percentage (35.7 percent). He could join Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez as the only pitchers in history to strike out at least 200 batters, give up half as many hits, and have a sub-2.00 ERA.
Runner-up: Justin Verlander, Astros – The guy is 39 years old, coming back from Tommy John surgery, and is 11-3 with a 2.00 ERA. He’s one of the game’s greatest pitchers of his era, with a plaque awaiting him at Cooperstown.
NL Cy YoungSandy Alcantara is an All-Star for the second time in his career.Sandy Alcantara, Marlins: Who does he think he is, Bob Gibson? You talk about old-school. Alcantara (9-4, 1.76 ERA) has pitched at least eight innings in nine of his starts this year – six more than any other pitcher in baseball – and has gone a full nine innings three times. He has made 13 consecutive starts pitching at least seven innings, allowing two or fewer runs in 12 of the starts. It’s the longest stretch by any pitcher since 2014. He has pitched an MLB-leading 138⅓ innings, 30 more than anyone else.
Runner-up: Tony Gonsolin, Dodgers – When you’re 11-0 with a 2.02 ERA, it doesn’t matter how many innings you’re pitching. And don’t let anyone tell you differently. Wins means everything to starting pitchers.
AL Rookie of the YearJulio Rodriguez, Mariners: He may be the best outfielder to come out of Seattle since a fella by the name of Ken Griffey Jr. He can do anything and everything. He had a miserable April getting acclimated, hitting .206 without a home run, and has since hit 16 homers, with 44 of his 50 RBI, and has stolen 12 of his MLB-leading 21 steals since May 1.
He became the fastest player in big-league history to reach 15 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases, and the first rookie with that many homers and stolen bases before the All-Star break since Devon White of the Angels in 1987.
He could join Mike Trout as the only players in baseball history to hit 30 homers and steal 40 bases in a season at the age of 21 or younger. He is the reason for the Mariners’ resurgence and could certainly wind up in AL MVP discussions.
Runner-up: Jeremy Pena, Astros: Carlos Correa may be gone, and certainly he is a force in the middle of any lineup, but man, has Pena ever stepped in nicely with his magnificent defense.
NL Rookie of the YearMichael Harris' promotion coincided with Atlanta catching fire.Michael Harris, Atlanta: Harris, 21, stepped into Atlanta’s lineup on May 28, without having played a single game at Class AAA, and they have been winning virtually every day since. He has been phenomenal defensively, and his offense has surprised Atlanta executives, and even himself, hitting .277 with eight homers, 26 RBI and an .804 OPS.
Runner-up: Spencer Strider, Atlanta – He made his first start on May 30 in an experiment to see if he could cut it out of the bullpen. He proved he’s not only ready, but is flourishing with a 3-1, 2.74 ERA as a starter, striking out 73 batters in 46 innings, and yielding a .180 batting average and measly .536 OPS.
AL Manager of the YearBrandon Hyde, Orioles: Remember when no one could tell whether Hyde was a good manager or a poor one considering he didn’t have any players? Well, despite having the least amount of talent of any team in the AL East, if not the entire American League, no one has gotten more out of his players. He is the leader of the league’s biggest surprise.
Runner-up: Dusty Baker, Astros – Baker, 72, owns his own vineyard he’s getting better with age, too. The Astros were expected to take a step backwards this year and perhaps even relinquish their AL West crown. Instead, they’re running away from the pack.
NL Manager of the YearMets manager Buck Showalter talks with shortstop Francisco Lindor.Buck Showalter, Mets: The only real question is why he remained on the sidelines for three years while everyone snubbed him looking for managers. He has always been one of the game’s best managers and now he’s excelling on the biggest stage in the game. It’s hard to believe that no Mets manager has ever won the NL award. That will end this year.
Runner-up: Bob Melvin, Padres – The Padres melted down when they were in contention last summer. This time around, there’s so much confidence and trust in Melvin that they believe they’re as good as any team in baseball. He’s one the game’s most underrated managers in the last two decades.
Managers on the hot seatThere have been three managers already fired in the first half of the season.
The last time we’ve seen such a turnover before the All-Star Game was back in 2015:
So who’s next on the chopping block in 2022?
While it’s hard to see anyone getting fired until the offseason, there are six managers who may be gone before the December winter meetings.
Tony La Russa, White Sox
The White Sox certainly won’t fire him during the season, but may have no choice to re-assign him if they don’t reach the playoffs. The team is dysfunctional with lack of leadership, and although it’s hardly all La Russa’s fault, he hasn’t changed the culture.
Torey Lovullo, Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks are still rebuilding, and like Charlie Montoyo, Lovullo is loved in the organization but too many fundamental mistakes continue to be made, with ownership already rejecting the front office’s request for an extension.
Mike Matheny, Royals
The Royals expected to make great strides this year and at least flirt with mediocrity. They’ve instead gone backwards and have the second-worst record in the American League.
Don Mattingly, Marlins
Mattingly took a pay cut just to come back to the Marlins. They need to make the playoffs, or at least come awfully close, to assure his job security for another year.
Scott Servais, Mariners
Servais and GM Jerry Dipoto are joined at the hip since arriving to Seattle seven years ago, but if the Mariners miss the playoffs for the 21st consecutive year after their recent hot streak, someone may have to pay the price.
Chris Woodward, Rangers
You don’t spend a half-billion in free agency and expect to be doormats. Woodward’s job with the Rangers may hinge on just how close they come to the playoffs without making it.
Around the basepaths– The Washington Nationals may be telling teams that All-Star outfielder Juan Soto is now available after he rejected their 15-year, $440 million contract offer, but it still appears unlikely that he’ll be moved by the Aug. 2 trade deadline.
Nats officials say they will have to be overwhelmed by an offer to trade him in the next three weeks knowing he’s still under control through the 2024 season.
Teams realize that if he’s not going to sign a $440 million deal with his homegrown team, he’s not about to turn around and immediately sign with them.
Still, he easily becomes the hottest name on the trade market, and it will be fascinating just who will make serious offers.
– The Angels have gone from potential buyers to sellers, and with the thin market for starting pitchers, they could get a prized prospect for Noah Syndergaard, even with his $21 million salary.
– Just how much will the Reds gets for ace Luis Castillo, who clearly is the No. 1 trade chip in baseball? yielding a 1.00 ERA in his last four starts with a 1.38 ERA against the powerful AL East.
Executives predict it will cost a team at least two of its top five prospects, and perhaps three of their top 10.
Castillo has yielded a 1.00 ERA in his last four starts and isn't a free agent until after the 2023 season.
The Yankees would love to have him as their No. 2 starter behind Gerrit Cole. The Yankees’ starting rotation had the lowest ERA in the major leagues on June 5, but since has a 4.42 ERA, ranking just 18th.
This is a rotation with Luis Severino, who’s on the IL with a lat strain, and hasn’t pitched a full season since 2018.
Nestor Cortes is just shy of his career high in inninga.
Jameson Taillon, who was yielding a.353 slugging percentage on June 5, since has a major-league worst .608.
The Reds, badly in need of young position players, will have one of the top 10 farm systems after trading Castillo.
Barry Sanders, Tom Izzo, Calvin Johnson and Dylan Larkin Lead Star-Studded Field as Rocket Mortgage Classic Announces Participants for AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble presented by the Total Health Care Foundation
Writer-director of 'Bull Durham' reveals behind-the-scenes stories of timeless movie
DETROIT (July 13, 2022) – The Rocket Mortgage Classic today announced a star-studded field for a special event that has quickly become a fan favorite during tournament week. The annual AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble presented by the Total Health Care Foundation will feature a pair of football Hall of Famers, a Hall of Fame basketball coach, a two-time NHL All-Star, a long drive world-record holder, a world-famous musician, up-and-coming golf stars and some of the biggest names on the PGA TOUR.
The AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble - awarded the PGA TOUR’s “Best Special Event” after its debut in 2019 - will be held Tuesday, July 26 at Detroit Golf Club. It is one of the many special events being held during Detroit Community Days presented by DTE Energy, which provide complimentary admission and parking on Tuesday, July 26 and Wednesday, July 27.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic returns July 26-31 to Detroit Golf Club, bringing the PGA TOUR event to the city of Detroit for the fourth straight year. Tickets for Thursday-Sunday competition rounds are available at RocketMortgageClassic.com.
The AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble - awarded the PGA TOUR’s “Best Special Event” after its debut in 2019 - will be held Tuesday, July 26 at Detroit Golf Club. It is one of the many special events being held during Detroit Community Days presented by DTE Energy, which provide complimentary admission and parking on Tuesday, July 26 and Wednesday, July 27.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic returns July 26-31 to Detroit Golf Club, bringing the PGA TOUR event to the city of Detroit for the fourth straight year. Tickets for Thursday-Sunday competition rounds are available at RocketMortgageClassic.com.
Julie Hinds- Courtesy of Detroit Free Press
The genius of “Bull Durham” can be found in so many scenes, including one in which minor-league veteran Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) coaches pitching newcomer Ebby Calvin (Nuke) LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) on the art of being interviewed.
“You’re going to have to learn your cliches,” advises Crash. “You’re going to have to study them. ... Write this down. 'We’ve got to play them one day at a time.'”
"'Got to play.' … That’s pretty boring, you know?” responds Nuke.
“Of course it’s boring,” says Crash. “That’s the point. Write it down!”
Yes, most real post-game interviews are mind-numbingly boring. But writer-director Ron Shelton’s 1988 movie about the Durham Bulls baseball team remains the exact opposite of boring.
The greatest sports movie of all time — that’s according to a 2003 Sports Illustrated ranking that still holds up — is the subject of Ron Shelton's new book, “The Church of Baseball: The Making of Bull Durham: Home Runs, Bad Calls, Crazy Fights, Big Swings, and a Hit."
Shelton will talk about his memoir Thursday at a virtual event hosted by Dearborn's Henry Ford Centennial Library. Joining Shelton in the Zoom discussion will be Jim Burnstein, the director of the screenwriting program at the University of Michigan (and a screenwriter and producer who has delved into sports movies himself with the script for "D3: The Mighty Ducks").
Released in 1988, “Bull Durham” stars Costner as an older, wiser catcher for the Durham, North Carolina, team, Robbins as the mix of raw talent and naivete that is Nuke and Susan Sarandon as Annie Savoy, a so-called baseball groupie who's in love with the game and who practices serial monogamy by romancing one player each season.
What makes "Bull Durham" such a timeless movie? Burnstein says the short answer is that Shelton designed it that way.
"Ron Shelton pitched it as 'Lysistrata' in the minor leagues. And you don’t have to be a fan of Aristophanes or baseball to get it," says Burnstein, referring to the ancient Greek play about a battle of the sexes.
"It’s a pitcher, a catcher and a woman who tells the tale. She sleeps with one of them, but the other one is the right guy. You cannot help but love all of these characters. The story rings true because the minor league world Shelton creates is one he inhabited. It’s funny and sad and perfectly cast. 'Bull Durham' is the gold standard when it comes to sports movies because it’s not about sports."
The genius of “Bull Durham” can be found in so many scenes, including one in which minor-league veteran Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) coaches pitching newcomer Ebby Calvin (Nuke) LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) on the art of being interviewed.
“You’re going to have to learn your cliches,” advises Crash. “You’re going to have to study them. ... Write this down. 'We’ve got to play them one day at a time.'”
"'Got to play.' … That’s pretty boring, you know?” responds Nuke.
“Of course it’s boring,” says Crash. “That’s the point. Write it down!”
Yes, most real post-game interviews are mind-numbingly boring. But writer-director Ron Shelton’s 1988 movie about the Durham Bulls baseball team remains the exact opposite of boring.
The greatest sports movie of all time — that’s according to a 2003 Sports Illustrated ranking that still holds up — is the subject of Ron Shelton's new book, “The Church of Baseball: The Making of Bull Durham: Home Runs, Bad Calls, Crazy Fights, Big Swings, and a Hit."
Shelton will talk about his memoir Thursday at a virtual event hosted by Dearborn's Henry Ford Centennial Library. Joining Shelton in the Zoom discussion will be Jim Burnstein, the director of the screenwriting program at the University of Michigan (and a screenwriter and producer who has delved into sports movies himself with the script for "D3: The Mighty Ducks").
Released in 1988, “Bull Durham” stars Costner as an older, wiser catcher for the Durham, North Carolina, team, Robbins as the mix of raw talent and naivete that is Nuke and Susan Sarandon as Annie Savoy, a so-called baseball groupie who's in love with the game and who practices serial monogamy by romancing one player each season.
What makes "Bull Durham" such a timeless movie? Burnstein says the short answer is that Shelton designed it that way.
"Ron Shelton pitched it as 'Lysistrata' in the minor leagues. And you don’t have to be a fan of Aristophanes or baseball to get it," says Burnstein, referring to the ancient Greek play about a battle of the sexes.
"It’s a pitcher, a catcher and a woman who tells the tale. She sleeps with one of them, but the other one is the right guy. You cannot help but love all of these characters. The story rings true because the minor league world Shelton creates is one he inhabited. It’s funny and sad and perfectly cast. 'Bull Durham' is the gold standard when it comes to sports movies because it’s not about sports."
The latest in sports and my unfiltered take
MAC Championship Game pits two unexpected teams for conference title champion
Ja Its totally expected that most Michigan fans whether the Wolverines, Spartans and so on are looking toward Indianapolis. The Michigan Wolverines are making their first appearance in Indianapolis against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
At Ford Field in Detroit, the MAC west champions Northern Illinois (8-4, 6-2 MAC and the Kent St. Golden Flashes (7-5, 6-2 MAC) squared off and neither of these teams were expected to be playing in this game back in July when media and conference coaches made their preseason polls.
Not that this stopped former MSU quarterback and Rocky Lombardi, who has found his rhythm playing for the NIU Huskies. The Huskies took the opening kickoff and moved the ball 41 yards and used a 37 yard field goal by kicker John Richardson to take a three point lead.
The Golden Flashes Dustin Crum is determined to throw the ball Six of the nine plays on the first drive were in the air and a touchdown strike was called back after an illegal player went downfield.
For NIU, a series of running plays went nowhere in drive two, until a Lombardi strike to Cole Tucker gave the Huskies their second possession on the Kent St. side of the field. It culminated with an end round scamper by Jay Ducker.
The second half saw KSU methodically march down the field and Andrew Glass' field goal put the Golden Flashes on the board. NIU 17- KSU 3.
The ball control offense led by Lombardi made its way to midfield but a Unsportsman flag on Marques Cox which followed a Lombardi sack. They punted and the Flashes were not at work on offense for long.
An Interception return by C.J Brown was taken to the house and increased the NIU lead to 24-3.
with less than four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Golden Flashes were forced to go to the air. It worked for a first down completion to Ja'Shaun Poke for a first down. Another important play was a Crum run on a keeper. A pass interference penalty on NIU's JeVaughn Byrd put the Flashes at the NIU 15, `
Nykiem Johnson took a 15 yard pass in the flat into the endzone to cut the lead to 14. NIU 24- KSU 10
After three quarters VVV
A 33 yard completion from Lombardi to Trayvon Rudolph was caught and challenged by KSU. It looked out on the first look as Rudolph's lead foot touched the sideline but the officials said the trail foot, which came down inbounds but after the lead foot counts. Huge play for NIU.
Still, the Golden Flashes defense was as solid as butter on a hot summers day. An eight play 75 yard drive finished with a 5 yard Lombardi run increased the lead to NIU 31- KSU 10.
KSU tried to get things going trailing by 21. Crumm tried a couple of sidelines passes, a run and was sacked on 4th down. NIU took over at the 21.
Kent State opened up the faucets late and scored two late touchdowns. NIU added a field goal. The stats are below.
Hey, sometimes the best team wins the Solheim Cup. Here's a timeline to a win and my take
After the US went down 5 ½ to 2 ½ after day one of the Solheim Cup, the Americans win three of four morning matches and trail 6 ½ to 5 ½. The Americans cough up the one-point deficit in the afternoon four ball matches. Their two-match deficit has the Yanks training 9 to 7 to Team Europe.
2:15 pm. Observations: The Korda sisters are mortal. Well, we knew that but when you win four tournaments and a Olympic Golf Medal between the two, you expect a lot. Neither sister played great.
2:28 pm Sorry to say, but the same went for Lexi Thompson. She dropped matches on Friday and Saturday.
2:44pm -In a Nelly Korda sighting, she now leads her match by two holes after 9. At 2:59pm, its back to one.
2:58 pm. In a gut check moment, the Americans, who put up some red on the board after a third of the day, saw blue paint the scoreboard as seven of ten matches are now in the hands of Team Europe.
3pm- Now, eight of the ten matches are controlled by Team Europe. Escargot anyone?
3:19pm Of the eight matches in the European lead column, five are by a single shot.
3:25- Lexi misses a short birdie putt. With three holes to go, she trails by one.
3:30- Jennifer Kupcho misses her par putt. This is the first loss for the Yanks on Sunday. Its 10-7 Europe.
3:39- With Thompson and Ally Ewing now trailing by one hole, the Americans trail 8 to four in single matches and all players have at least started their back nine.
3:51 Ally Ewing misses a birdie putt on 16. Sagstrom finishes the match with a birdie. The final is 3 and 2. 11-7 Euros.
3:56 The Europeans win their third consecutive match as Boutier whipes out Harigae 5&4. Europe now leads 12-7.
4:09 For Team USA, Maria Salas has birdied number 13 and has made her match all square.
4:13 Thompson and Nordqvist finish their match halved. Europe leads 12 ½ to 7 ½.
4:22- Looking at the numbers, the Americans lead in four of the six remaining matches with two more all square. They need to win those four matches. Then they need the two AS matches and need to take one more point from a match the Europeans lead. My pencil is dull, but trying to find a way.
4:30 Nelly Korda nearly holes a birdie, but it was enough to finish off Georgia Hall. It is the American’s first win today in the fifth match of the day. 8 ½ to 12 ½
4:31 Brittany Altomare makes the anaconda and squares the match after 14.
4:47- Not much has changed on the math front. The matches are still basically the same except Danielle Kang now trails by two in her final match against Emily Pedersen.
4:48 The Americans have been dancing around the hole all day with hardly a made putt to show for it. Momma told me there would be days like these.
5:00 Sophia Popov wins her third straight hole to cut the Khang lead to three with three to play.
5:01 Lizette Salas hits a rope to eight feet. She could tie her match. Nope. She misses her putt. She makes the comebacker and the Yanks have a slight chance. Castren makes her putt and guarantees the Europeans at least a half point.
5:13 Khang closes out Popov with a par and wins the match 3&2. Europe 13, USA 10.
5:18 Matilda Castren stares down a putt after Salas misses her putt. She makes and The Euros are now sitting at 14. Europe 14, USA 10.
At 5:20pm, Europe clinches when Emily Pedersen was guaranteed a half point being up over Danielle Kang by three.
2:15 pm. Observations: The Korda sisters are mortal. Well, we knew that but when you win four tournaments and a Olympic Golf Medal between the two, you expect a lot. Neither sister played great.
2:28 pm Sorry to say, but the same went for Lexi Thompson. She dropped matches on Friday and Saturday.
2:44pm -In a Nelly Korda sighting, she now leads her match by two holes after 9. At 2:59pm, its back to one.
2:58 pm. In a gut check moment, the Americans, who put up some red on the board after a third of the day, saw blue paint the scoreboard as seven of ten matches are now in the hands of Team Europe.
3pm- Now, eight of the ten matches are controlled by Team Europe. Escargot anyone?
3:19pm Of the eight matches in the European lead column, five are by a single shot.
3:25- Lexi misses a short birdie putt. With three holes to go, she trails by one.
3:30- Jennifer Kupcho misses her par putt. This is the first loss for the Yanks on Sunday. Its 10-7 Europe.
3:39- With Thompson and Ally Ewing now trailing by one hole, the Americans trail 8 to four in single matches and all players have at least started their back nine.
3:51 Ally Ewing misses a birdie putt on 16. Sagstrom finishes the match with a birdie. The final is 3 and 2. 11-7 Euros.
3:56 The Europeans win their third consecutive match as Boutier whipes out Harigae 5&4. Europe now leads 12-7.
4:09 For Team USA, Maria Salas has birdied number 13 and has made her match all square.
4:13 Thompson and Nordqvist finish their match halved. Europe leads 12 ½ to 7 ½.
4:22- Looking at the numbers, the Americans lead in four of the six remaining matches with two more all square. They need to win those four matches. Then they need the two AS matches and need to take one more point from a match the Europeans lead. My pencil is dull, but trying to find a way.
4:30 Nelly Korda nearly holes a birdie, but it was enough to finish off Georgia Hall. It is the American’s first win today in the fifth match of the day. 8 ½ to 12 ½
4:31 Brittany Altomare makes the anaconda and squares the match after 14.
4:47- Not much has changed on the math front. The matches are still basically the same except Danielle Kang now trails by two in her final match against Emily Pedersen.
4:48 The Americans have been dancing around the hole all day with hardly a made putt to show for it. Momma told me there would be days like these.
5:00 Sophia Popov wins her third straight hole to cut the Khang lead to three with three to play.
5:01 Lizette Salas hits a rope to eight feet. She could tie her match. Nope. She misses her putt. She makes the comebacker and the Yanks have a slight chance. Castren makes her putt and guarantees the Europeans at least a half point.
5:13 Khang closes out Popov with a par and wins the match 3&2. Europe 13, USA 10.
5:18 Matilda Castren stares down a putt after Salas misses her putt. She makes and The Euros are now sitting at 14. Europe 14, USA 10.
At 5:20pm, Europe clinches when Emily Pedersen was guaranteed a half point being up over Danielle Kang by three.
- The Keys to the 2021 Solheim Cup.
- Europe leading 3 ½ to ½ in the Saturday AM session.
- The Americans closed to 6 ½ to 5 ½ after Sunday morning. The Europeans opened the lead back to two.
- The Americans poor start on Sunday morning trailing in nearly every match was the smoke in the garage. Not making putts or having anything magical happen gave them what they deserved. A second place finish to a superb European team.
- My MVP Europe’s Leona Macguire. She went 5-0 for Europe. She is a terrific player who is clutch and keeps her mistakes to a minimum.
Thoughts on NASCAR at Indy, James Piot and Tiger promotions of top draft picks
“In my wildest dreams I could never imagine the way that just played out,” Allmendinger said.
Well, that about sums it up for AJ Allmendinger, whose name was never mentioned until there were two laps to go on Sunday. When Chase Briscoe clipped Denny Hamlin in overtime on Sunday, NASCAR really only has about a dozen cars that realistically have a shot of winning in any given CUP race and for a former full-time cup rider gaining rides only on road courses, Allmendinger won a race for the little guys.
Bet you Bubba Wallace, who has never won a race would love to break through. So would multiple winner Erik Jones, who is still racing for his 2022 ride with Petty Enterprises, which is the black hole of racers looking for wins.
+ Well, the crowd appeared to be decent at Indy. I was there a few years ago and it was embarrassing for NASCAR to basically have 250k seats for a race and barely 10k show up. They announced 40k, but there was no chance of that.
I love the new track owner Roger Penske thinking about a new way to spice up the race. The infield course was a great way to do it and the NASCAR drivers coming down turn one backwards down the straight was an interesting twist. For me, a big change is to have a racing doubleheader. The road course on Saturday, a concert on Saturday evening and racing at the famed oval on Sunday. Make it a combo ticket.
James Piot wins the US Amateur. He is the first Michigander to ever win the tournament. I covered Piot as a high schooler a few years back and he is a very good player. Talented and more. His work ethic shows you that he can drive the ball 350 yards, but in the end, the tortoise won the match and Piot has made Michigan golfers proud. It will be great seeing him with the 10- year amateur exemption that no winner ever uses. He will be in the Master's and US Open field next year. I bet you Piot will work even harder if that is possible to make sure he is ready to make the cut and earn a check.
Finally, Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Ryan Kreidler from Erie to Toledo. Torkelson and Greene most likely will be ready for the big club out of spring training in 2022, but don't expect to see them with the Tigers until they mess up their service time to gain their services for an extra year. So, the kids will continue to come.
Well, that about sums it up for AJ Allmendinger, whose name was never mentioned until there were two laps to go on Sunday. When Chase Briscoe clipped Denny Hamlin in overtime on Sunday, NASCAR really only has about a dozen cars that realistically have a shot of winning in any given CUP race and for a former full-time cup rider gaining rides only on road courses, Allmendinger won a race for the little guys.
Bet you Bubba Wallace, who has never won a race would love to break through. So would multiple winner Erik Jones, who is still racing for his 2022 ride with Petty Enterprises, which is the black hole of racers looking for wins.
+ Well, the crowd appeared to be decent at Indy. I was there a few years ago and it was embarrassing for NASCAR to basically have 250k seats for a race and barely 10k show up. They announced 40k, but there was no chance of that.
I love the new track owner Roger Penske thinking about a new way to spice up the race. The infield course was a great way to do it and the NASCAR drivers coming down turn one backwards down the straight was an interesting twist. For me, a big change is to have a racing doubleheader. The road course on Saturday, a concert on Saturday evening and racing at the famed oval on Sunday. Make it a combo ticket.
James Piot wins the US Amateur. He is the first Michigander to ever win the tournament. I covered Piot as a high schooler a few years back and he is a very good player. Talented and more. His work ethic shows you that he can drive the ball 350 yards, but in the end, the tortoise won the match and Piot has made Michigan golfers proud. It will be great seeing him with the 10- year amateur exemption that no winner ever uses. He will be in the Master's and US Open field next year. I bet you Piot will work even harder if that is possible to make sure he is ready to make the cut and earn a check.
Finally, Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Ryan Kreidler from Erie to Toledo. Torkelson and Greene most likely will be ready for the big club out of spring training in 2022, but don't expect to see them with the Tigers until they mess up their service time to gain their services for an extra year. So, the kids will continue to come.
Al Avila is emptying out the farm system so players put up, or shut up.
You can't blame Al Avila. After the Tigers traded away both Justin Verlander and JD Martinez back in 2018, it was very apparent that the Tigers teams that appeared in two World Series in seven seasons was over. As a matter of fact, the decline of Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez were already in free fall and Avila just popped the already deflated balloon and kicked it down the road.
Unlike the NFL draft which is also a crap shoot, the MLB is nearly speculative gambling compared to football players who for the most part, have four years of big time experience. With MLB, high school kids are mixed in with the college players and it makes for spectacular finds and flaming misses.
Avila has made a market correction with his picks and has taken stock of all of his picks since 2014. Derek Hill, the first rounder in 2014 was promoted last year and sputtered badly and got another chance earlier this season. He quickly ended up on the injured list and is rehabbing in Toledo. The jury is out on Hill.
Avila also decided to take stock of his 2015 first round high school selection Beau Burrows. Burrows has largely floundered in the minors and his ceiling found him no higher than the mid minors. Avila cut bait with him earlier the season where the Cubs are trying to find a way to promote him to the big league club.
Casey Mize has the best arm in the Tigers organization and this 2018 first rounder was thrown into the fire last season and struggled. After a bumpy start in 2021, he has smoothed his stats out and is getting better to the point of being considered as Detroit's all-star representative, although it went to relief pitcher Gregory Soto.
The Tigers last two first rounders will most likely get the call next season. Spencer Torkelson, last years first rounder and Riley Greene, the outfielder taken in 2019 could see action late this season when the rosters expand.
Avila has little cash to spend on veterans and the minor leaguers are getting their trial by fire. Even if they sink in early promotions, both the organization and the players are getting great feedback.
Avila needs to keep the momentum going. His first round selection in 2021 will get a season or two in the minors and then its show time. I thought he might go with Jack Leiter, the mostly polished pitcher from Vanderbilt who is a senior and could plug him in with those already mentioned. The rumor is it will be a high school shortstop or pitcher Jackson Jobe. Those guys will be 2-4 seasons away. Stay tuned.
Unlike the NFL draft which is also a crap shoot, the MLB is nearly speculative gambling compared to football players who for the most part, have four years of big time experience. With MLB, high school kids are mixed in with the college players and it makes for spectacular finds and flaming misses.
Avila has made a market correction with his picks and has taken stock of all of his picks since 2014. Derek Hill, the first rounder in 2014 was promoted last year and sputtered badly and got another chance earlier this season. He quickly ended up on the injured list and is rehabbing in Toledo. The jury is out on Hill.
Avila also decided to take stock of his 2015 first round high school selection Beau Burrows. Burrows has largely floundered in the minors and his ceiling found him no higher than the mid minors. Avila cut bait with him earlier the season where the Cubs are trying to find a way to promote him to the big league club.
Casey Mize has the best arm in the Tigers organization and this 2018 first rounder was thrown into the fire last season and struggled. After a bumpy start in 2021, he has smoothed his stats out and is getting better to the point of being considered as Detroit's all-star representative, although it went to relief pitcher Gregory Soto.
The Tigers last two first rounders will most likely get the call next season. Spencer Torkelson, last years first rounder and Riley Greene, the outfielder taken in 2019 could see action late this season when the rosters expand.
Avila has little cash to spend on veterans and the minor leaguers are getting their trial by fire. Even if they sink in early promotions, both the organization and the players are getting great feedback.
Avila needs to keep the momentum going. His first round selection in 2021 will get a season or two in the minors and then its show time. I thought he might go with Jack Leiter, the mostly polished pitcher from Vanderbilt who is a senior and could plug him in with those already mentioned. The rumor is it will be a high school shortstop or pitcher Jackson Jobe. Those guys will be 2-4 seasons away. Stay tuned.
The demise of Kyle Busch is premature thank goodness!
What went well and not so well at Pocono
What went well and not so well at Pocono
First of all, a couple of exciting races at Pocono over the weekend. Usually, fuel mileage races are ... Boring. But for this past weekend, they were exciting. The multiple lead changes as cars gambled on a late caution that never came saw drivers that had a shot to win the race fall to a top-ten finish instead of lose valuable points and a 30th finish or worse. NASCAR had a winner of a weekend. They really listened both internally to new voices and the fans who wanted change and got it. Heck, if you are going to take racing dates away from Michigan, Pocono and others that had multiple weekends, then add a second race and some undercard races. Make the CUP races a little shorter and add a Truck or ARCA race in the morning. More on all of the NASCAR changes another time but the 2021 schedule has been a winner.
So, here are the winners from the Pocono weekend.
1. Kyle Busch. Kyle wondered if he was washed up at the top level with a long losing streak dating back to 2020. Well, he gambled and won in the second race. He was driving a wounded car with transmission issues and had to drive very smartly to stay near the lead. Think of your own car having only fourth gear and being stopped at a red light. The lack of a late caution turned Busch into a two-time winner this year.
-Alex Bowman-Bowman's career has always been tepid until taking over the #48 from the NASCAR HOF to be Jimmie Johnson. He has three wins this season to go along with 5 top fives and ten top tens. Bowman does have three DNF's this year.
- Kyle Larson won this weekend even though he did not score a win in either or the Pocono races. He was a half-lap short from winning his fifth race in a row when he ran out of gas and finished 8th. In the second race, he finished right behind Kyle Busch for a second place finish. How lucky for Hendrick Motorsports to have arguably the top two talents in the sport with Larson and Chase Elliott. This could be the best racing duel moving forward since Richard Petty and David Pearson dominated their sports.
The Bad- The bad is taking the week off this week.
So, here are the winners from the Pocono weekend.
1. Kyle Busch. Kyle wondered if he was washed up at the top level with a long losing streak dating back to 2020. Well, he gambled and won in the second race. He was driving a wounded car with transmission issues and had to drive very smartly to stay near the lead. Think of your own car having only fourth gear and being stopped at a red light. The lack of a late caution turned Busch into a two-time winner this year.
-Alex Bowman-Bowman's career has always been tepid until taking over the #48 from the NASCAR HOF to be Jimmie Johnson. He has three wins this season to go along with 5 top fives and ten top tens. Bowman does have three DNF's this year.
- Kyle Larson won this weekend even though he did not score a win in either or the Pocono races. He was a half-lap short from winning his fifth race in a row when he ran out of gas and finished 8th. In the second race, he finished right behind Kyle Busch for a second place finish. How lucky for Hendrick Motorsports to have arguably the top two talents in the sport with Larson and Chase Elliott. This could be the best racing duel moving forward since Richard Petty and David Pearson dominated their sports.
The Bad- The bad is taking the week off this week.
Cleveland, Ohio – Today the Mid-American Conference announced the All-MAC Teams & Specialty Award selections for the 2020 football season. All of the awards were voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.
Buffalo junior running back Jaret Patterson was tabbed the winner of the 39th Vern Smith Leadership Award as the top player in the MAC and was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. Buffalo Head Coach Lance Leipold was selected as the MAC Head Coach of the Year, while Central Michigan running back Lew Nichols III was named MAC Freshman of the Year. Ball State linebacker Brandon Martin and Central Michigan defensive end Troy Hairston IIshared MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Western Michigan senior wide receiver/kickoff returner D'Wayne "Dee" Eskridge was named MAC Special Teams Player of the Year.
Patterson is the first player in Buffalo program history to win the prestigious Vern Smith Leadership Award. He is just the second UB player to win MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors, joining former quarterback Tyree Jackson who won the award in 2018.Patterson has assembled a historic season through only five games. He leads the nation in rushing, averaging 203 yards per game and has scored 18 rushing touchdowns, third in the country. With 1,025 yards on the season, the junior running back became just the 12th player in FBS history to rush for 1,000 yards in the first five games of the year.
Leipold was named the MAC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. He also won the award in 2018. Leipold has led Buffalo to a 5-0 record and a MAC East Division Championship. The Bulls lead the nation in scoring (51.8 ppg) and rushing yards per game (344.6). He is the first UB head coach to win the honor multiple times. Former head coach Turner Gill won the award in 2007.
Martin, who returned this year after sustaining a season-ending injury in the 2019 opener, ranks fourth nationally with 12.0 tackles per game. The redshirt junior from Indianapolis had 6.5 tackles for loss, including 5.0 in the past three games. Martin is the first Ball State player to win the defensive player of the year honor since Brad Maynard won it as a punter in 1996 and the first traditional defensive player to win the award for BSU since linebacker Greg Garnica did it three straight years from 1987-89.
Hairston leads the MAC in both sacks (5.5) and tackles-for-loss (12). Nationally, he ranks third in tackles-for-loss and 10th in sacks per game. Hairston is the third Chippewa to earn the MAC Defensive Player of the Year Award, joining Dan Bazuin (2005) and Ray Bentley (1982).
Eskridge was one of two players in the league with a kickoff return for a touchdown this season, while his 27.5 yards per kickoff return led the league among players with at least five returns. At receiver, Eskridge led the MAC in receiving yards (784), yards per game (130.7) and receiving touchdowns (eight). It marks the third time in the last five seasons a Bronco has collected Special Teams Player of the Year after Darius Phillips won it in 2016 and '17.
Nichols led the Chippewas with 508 yards rushing and he caught 10 passes for 109 yards and scored five touchdowns. He ranked seventh in the MAC in rushing yards per game (84.7) and was ninth in yards per carry (6.5). Nichols is the sixth Chippewa to earn the MAC Freshman of the Year Award and the first since Antonio Brown in 2007.
Buffalo junior running back Jaret Patterson was tabbed the winner of the 39th Vern Smith Leadership Award as the top player in the MAC and was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. Buffalo Head Coach Lance Leipold was selected as the MAC Head Coach of the Year, while Central Michigan running back Lew Nichols III was named MAC Freshman of the Year. Ball State linebacker Brandon Martin and Central Michigan defensive end Troy Hairston IIshared MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Western Michigan senior wide receiver/kickoff returner D'Wayne "Dee" Eskridge was named MAC Special Teams Player of the Year.
Patterson is the first player in Buffalo program history to win the prestigious Vern Smith Leadership Award. He is just the second UB player to win MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors, joining former quarterback Tyree Jackson who won the award in 2018.Patterson has assembled a historic season through only five games. He leads the nation in rushing, averaging 203 yards per game and has scored 18 rushing touchdowns, third in the country. With 1,025 yards on the season, the junior running back became just the 12th player in FBS history to rush for 1,000 yards in the first five games of the year.
Leipold was named the MAC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. He also won the award in 2018. Leipold has led Buffalo to a 5-0 record and a MAC East Division Championship. The Bulls lead the nation in scoring (51.8 ppg) and rushing yards per game (344.6). He is the first UB head coach to win the honor multiple times. Former head coach Turner Gill won the award in 2007.
Martin, who returned this year after sustaining a season-ending injury in the 2019 opener, ranks fourth nationally with 12.0 tackles per game. The redshirt junior from Indianapolis had 6.5 tackles for loss, including 5.0 in the past three games. Martin is the first Ball State player to win the defensive player of the year honor since Brad Maynard won it as a punter in 1996 and the first traditional defensive player to win the award for BSU since linebacker Greg Garnica did it three straight years from 1987-89.
Hairston leads the MAC in both sacks (5.5) and tackles-for-loss (12). Nationally, he ranks third in tackles-for-loss and 10th in sacks per game. Hairston is the third Chippewa to earn the MAC Defensive Player of the Year Award, joining Dan Bazuin (2005) and Ray Bentley (1982).
Eskridge was one of two players in the league with a kickoff return for a touchdown this season, while his 27.5 yards per kickoff return led the league among players with at least five returns. At receiver, Eskridge led the MAC in receiving yards (784), yards per game (130.7) and receiving touchdowns (eight). It marks the third time in the last five seasons a Bronco has collected Special Teams Player of the Year after Darius Phillips won it in 2016 and '17.
Nichols led the Chippewas with 508 yards rushing and he caught 10 passes for 109 yards and scored five touchdowns. He ranked seventh in the MAC in rushing yards per game (84.7) and was ninth in yards per carry (6.5). Nichols is the sixth Chippewa to earn the MAC Freshman of the Year Award and the first since Antonio Brown in 2007.
TIGER WOODS ANNOUNCES FLINT NATIVE WILLIE MACK III AS RECIPIENT OF THE 2021 CHARLIE SIFFORD MEMORIAL EXEMPTION
LOS ANGELES – Tournament Host Tiger Woods announced Willie Mack III as the recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption into the 2021 Genesis Invitational field. Awarded since 2009, the exemption represents the advancement of diversity in the game of golf.
“Willie learned to golf with his dad just like I did and those are memories that will last forever. I am excited to see Willie make another lasting memory when he tees it up at Riviera,” Woods said. “Willie has endured through difficult times off the course the past few years and I know Charlie would be proud of how he has stayed focused on achieving his dream.”
Mack, a native of Flint, MI, played college golf at Bethune-Cookman winning 11 titles as a Wildcat. In 2011, Mack became the first African American to win the Michigan Amateur Championship. Mack currently competes on the Advocates Pro Golf Association (APGA) Tour and Florida Professional Golf Tour, earning Player of the Year honors for both tours in 2019.
“I want to thank my father who introduced me to the great game of golf,” Mack said. “My dream since I first picked up a club has been to play on the PGA TOUR. It’s really special that I will play in my first PGA TOUR event because of an exemption named after Charlie Sifford, a person I’ve long admired, and in a tournament hosted by Tiger Woods, who is the reason I got into golf.”
The start at Riviera during the 2021 Genesis Invitational will be Mack’s first on the PGA TOUR. Mack has previously played on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Tour.
Since 2009, the exemption has been given to a golfer representing a minority background to play in the annual PGA TOUR event at Riviera. In 2017, the exemption was re-named to honor the memory of Charlie Sifford, the first African American player to compete on the PGA TOUR. Previous exemption recipients include Vincent Johnson (2009), Joshua Wooding (2010), Joseph Bramlett (2011 & 2020), Andy Walker (2012), Jeremiah Wooding (2013), Harold Varner III (2014), Carlos Sainz, Jr. (2015), J.J. Spaun (2016), Kevin M. Hall (2017), Cameron Champ (2018) and Tim O’Neal (2019).
The 2021 Genesis Invitational will be held February 15-21 and broadcast on GOLF Channel and CBS. To enhance the fan experience at home, the tournament is excited to offer games, activities and more to keep viewers engaged with the tournament while watching. Also the Genesis Invitational is taking its family village virtual in 2021 with digital activities, challenges, education resources and more for kids ages 5-12. These fan enhancement elements will be available on GenesisInvitational.com in the coming weeks. About The Genesis Invitational
One of the most historic and longest-running events on the PGA TOUR, The Genesis Invitational celebrates its 95th playing, February 15-21, 2021, at historic Riviera Country Club. With TGR Live serving as the event management company for The Genesis Invitational, the primary benefiting charity is TGR Foundation, with proceeds from the event supporting the foundation’s education programs in Southern California. The tournament’s title sponsor is Genesis, a global luxury automotive brand that delivers the highest standards of performance, design and innovation. For more information about The Ge
About TGR Live, A Tiger Woods Venture
For more than 20 years, TGR Live has exclusively organized and managed fundraising events supporting the TGR Foundation. It focuses solely on creating amazing experiences for the foundation’s clients at world-class events. TGR Live provides a variety of services including hospitality management, public relations and marketing, tournament operations, and sponsor sales at PGA TOUR and signature events which benefit the foundation. While many TGR Live events are televised, TGR Live does not provide TV or video production. For more information, visit TGRLive.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @TGRLiveEvents.
“Willie learned to golf with his dad just like I did and those are memories that will last forever. I am excited to see Willie make another lasting memory when he tees it up at Riviera,” Woods said. “Willie has endured through difficult times off the course the past few years and I know Charlie would be proud of how he has stayed focused on achieving his dream.”
Mack, a native of Flint, MI, played college golf at Bethune-Cookman winning 11 titles as a Wildcat. In 2011, Mack became the first African American to win the Michigan Amateur Championship. Mack currently competes on the Advocates Pro Golf Association (APGA) Tour and Florida Professional Golf Tour, earning Player of the Year honors for both tours in 2019.
“I want to thank my father who introduced me to the great game of golf,” Mack said. “My dream since I first picked up a club has been to play on the PGA TOUR. It’s really special that I will play in my first PGA TOUR event because of an exemption named after Charlie Sifford, a person I’ve long admired, and in a tournament hosted by Tiger Woods, who is the reason I got into golf.”
The start at Riviera during the 2021 Genesis Invitational will be Mack’s first on the PGA TOUR. Mack has previously played on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Tour.
Since 2009, the exemption has been given to a golfer representing a minority background to play in the annual PGA TOUR event at Riviera. In 2017, the exemption was re-named to honor the memory of Charlie Sifford, the first African American player to compete on the PGA TOUR. Previous exemption recipients include Vincent Johnson (2009), Joshua Wooding (2010), Joseph Bramlett (2011 & 2020), Andy Walker (2012), Jeremiah Wooding (2013), Harold Varner III (2014), Carlos Sainz, Jr. (2015), J.J. Spaun (2016), Kevin M. Hall (2017), Cameron Champ (2018) and Tim O’Neal (2019).
The 2021 Genesis Invitational will be held February 15-21 and broadcast on GOLF Channel and CBS. To enhance the fan experience at home, the tournament is excited to offer games, activities and more to keep viewers engaged with the tournament while watching. Also the Genesis Invitational is taking its family village virtual in 2021 with digital activities, challenges, education resources and more for kids ages 5-12. These fan enhancement elements will be available on GenesisInvitational.com in the coming weeks. About The Genesis Invitational
One of the most historic and longest-running events on the PGA TOUR, The Genesis Invitational celebrates its 95th playing, February 15-21, 2021, at historic Riviera Country Club. With TGR Live serving as the event management company for The Genesis Invitational, the primary benefiting charity is TGR Foundation, with proceeds from the event supporting the foundation’s education programs in Southern California. The tournament’s title sponsor is Genesis, a global luxury automotive brand that delivers the highest standards of performance, design and innovation. For more information about The Ge
About TGR Live, A Tiger Woods Venture
For more than 20 years, TGR Live has exclusively organized and managed fundraising events supporting the TGR Foundation. It focuses solely on creating amazing experiences for the foundation’s clients at world-class events. TGR Live provides a variety of services including hospitality management, public relations and marketing, tournament operations, and sponsor sales at PGA TOUR and signature events which benefit the foundation. While many TGR Live events are televised, TGR Live does not provide TV or video production. For more information, visit TGRLive.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @TGRLiveEvents.
Caledonia's Brett White aiming for wire-to-wire win at Michigan Open
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Acme — Brett White is one day from a wire-to-wire win at the Michigan Open.
White, a left-hander from Caledonia in west Michigan, shot a 1-under 71 and was at 9 under for a one-shot lead on The Bear course at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.
White has led after each of the first three rounds.
"I’ve never led a tournament wire-to-wire yet, but I’ll go out tomorrow and do it,” said White, 27.
A shot back was Chad Kurmel, 49, a teaching pro from Forest Akers at Michigan State in East Lansing. He shot a 5-under 67 on Wednesday.
Three back were defending champion Eric Lilleboe (71) of Okemos and 2020 Michigan PGA Professional champion Ben Cook (73) of Wayland. Cook played in the PGA Championship last month.
White, a left-hander from Caledonia in west Michigan, shot a 1-under 71 and was at 9 under for a one-shot lead on The Bear course at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.
White has led after each of the first three rounds.
"I’ve never led a tournament wire-to-wire yet, but I’ll go out tomorrow and do it,” said White, 27.
A shot back was Chad Kurmel, 49, a teaching pro from Forest Akers at Michigan State in East Lansing. He shot a 5-under 67 on Wednesday.
Three back were defending champion Eric Lilleboe (71) of Okemos and 2020 Michigan PGA Professional champion Ben Cook (73) of Wayland. Cook played in the PGA Championship last month.
It’s not the homecoming Erik Jones expected.
Just days before NASCAR returned to the Wolverine State for this weekend’s races at Michigan Speedway, word leaked on the internet that the 24-year-old’s contract would not be renewed at Joe Gibbs Racing.
JGR confirmed the story later Thursday night. Christopher Bell, his fellow Toyota development driver, is expected to replace Jones in the No. 20 team in 2021.
“I greatly appreciate the opportunity that JGR provided me with over the last four years and I wish the team nothing but success and good fortune,” Jones said in the team release. “JGR gave me a solid foundation from which to go out and compete at the highest level and I look forward to building on that in the years to come.”
The Byron, Michigan, racer, the first in a long and tremendously successful list of Toyota proteges, executed the perfect audition when he was just 16 by beating Kyle Busch in the 2012 Snowball Derby at 5 Flags Speedway. Soon after, Jones was recruited by Toyota.
Jones’ meteoric rise through the NASCAR ranks included wins in ARCA and then in the Truck Series—in his fifth start. He was both the youngest driver to win his first race and the championship in the Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks Series, at ages 17 and 19, respectively. His truck title came during his first full season on the tour.
Nine races into his Xfinity Series experience, Jones won from the pole at Texas Motor Speedway in the 2015 spring race. The following week, he was recruited to sub for an ailing Denny Hamlin at in the No. 11 Cup car after Hamlin suffered neck spasms during a lengthy rain delay at Bristol. Two years later, Jones graduated to a second car at Furniture Row Racing. The situation was far from ideal. Still, in a freshman class that included Daniel Suarez, Ty Dillon and Corey LaJoie, Jones won 2017 rookie honors handily.
Once he joined the JGR fold in 2018, Jones scored his first Cup win at the July Daytona race. He doubled his top-five results, finished half of his starts in the top 10 and qualified for the Playoffs. In 2019, Jones won again—this time in the prestigious Southern 500 at Darlington—and earned a one-year extension on his contract, even though Bell waiting in the wings as the next young, hot prospect in the Toyota camp.
Although Jones started the 2020 season by winning the Busch Clash at Daytona, he’s currently 18th in the standings after five top fives and eight top 10s in 20 starts. Since joining JGR, Jones has been overshadowed by veteran teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. His results were better than those of Daniel Suarez during their two seasons together at JGR. Though Busch has yet to win in 2020, Hamlin has won a fourth of this year’s Cup races. Martin Truex Jr. won at Martinsville in June.
Sure, Jones has endured his share of bad luck. But compared with some of his 20-something peers on the Cup tour, Jones has more top-five and top-10 finishes than Alex Bowman, Matt DiBenedetto, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon or Bell.
Certainly, Bell is a once-in-a-generational talent in whom Toyota has invested handsomely. Under the direction of Jason Ratcliff, who also guided Jones earlier in his career, Bell has made gains in the No. 95 Toyota. His true potential won't become evident until he's under JGR’s roof.
Perennially, there has been a stark contrast between Jones and the other top Gibbs’ drivers in equal equipment. When drivers such as Carl Edwards or Matt Kenseth entered the stable, both were able to hold their own and win immediately.
That’s not to say that Jones won’t flourish in a different environment, as Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick or Kyle Busch did when they left their previous employers for a fresh start. I would bet on it.
While Bubba Wallace is the frontrunner for the No. 42 Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, and LaJoie appears headed to the No. 37 JTG Daugherty team, and the replacement plans for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports seat have yet to be determined, Jones could enter any of those situations and make a significant difference.
Just days before NASCAR returned to the Wolverine State for this weekend’s races at Michigan Speedway, word leaked on the internet that the 24-year-old’s contract would not be renewed at Joe Gibbs Racing.
JGR confirmed the story later Thursday night. Christopher Bell, his fellow Toyota development driver, is expected to replace Jones in the No. 20 team in 2021.
“I greatly appreciate the opportunity that JGR provided me with over the last four years and I wish the team nothing but success and good fortune,” Jones said in the team release. “JGR gave me a solid foundation from which to go out and compete at the highest level and I look forward to building on that in the years to come.”
The Byron, Michigan, racer, the first in a long and tremendously successful list of Toyota proteges, executed the perfect audition when he was just 16 by beating Kyle Busch in the 2012 Snowball Derby at 5 Flags Speedway. Soon after, Jones was recruited by Toyota.
Jones’ meteoric rise through the NASCAR ranks included wins in ARCA and then in the Truck Series—in his fifth start. He was both the youngest driver to win his first race and the championship in the Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks Series, at ages 17 and 19, respectively. His truck title came during his first full season on the tour.
Nine races into his Xfinity Series experience, Jones won from the pole at Texas Motor Speedway in the 2015 spring race. The following week, he was recruited to sub for an ailing Denny Hamlin at in the No. 11 Cup car after Hamlin suffered neck spasms during a lengthy rain delay at Bristol. Two years later, Jones graduated to a second car at Furniture Row Racing. The situation was far from ideal. Still, in a freshman class that included Daniel Suarez, Ty Dillon and Corey LaJoie, Jones won 2017 rookie honors handily.
Once he joined the JGR fold in 2018, Jones scored his first Cup win at the July Daytona race. He doubled his top-five results, finished half of his starts in the top 10 and qualified for the Playoffs. In 2019, Jones won again—this time in the prestigious Southern 500 at Darlington—and earned a one-year extension on his contract, even though Bell waiting in the wings as the next young, hot prospect in the Toyota camp.
Although Jones started the 2020 season by winning the Busch Clash at Daytona, he’s currently 18th in the standings after five top fives and eight top 10s in 20 starts. Since joining JGR, Jones has been overshadowed by veteran teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. His results were better than those of Daniel Suarez during their two seasons together at JGR. Though Busch has yet to win in 2020, Hamlin has won a fourth of this year’s Cup races. Martin Truex Jr. won at Martinsville in June.
Sure, Jones has endured his share of bad luck. But compared with some of his 20-something peers on the Cup tour, Jones has more top-five and top-10 finishes than Alex Bowman, Matt DiBenedetto, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon or Bell.
Certainly, Bell is a once-in-a-generational talent in whom Toyota has invested handsomely. Under the direction of Jason Ratcliff, who also guided Jones earlier in his career, Bell has made gains in the No. 95 Toyota. His true potential won't become evident until he's under JGR’s roof.
Perennially, there has been a stark contrast between Jones and the other top Gibbs’ drivers in equal equipment. When drivers such as Carl Edwards or Matt Kenseth entered the stable, both were able to hold their own and win immediately.
That’s not to say that Jones won’t flourish in a different environment, as Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick or Kyle Busch did when they left their previous employers for a fresh start. I would bet on it.
While Bubba Wallace is the frontrunner for the No. 42 Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, and LaJoie appears headed to the No. 37 JTG Daugherty team, and the replacement plans for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports seat have yet to be determined, Jones could enter any of those situations and make a significant difference.